Painful Reminders
by TragischerRomantiker
Summary: One broken family; One man's to blame; One secret murderer; Kira's his name. Souls Lost and forgotten; the realm of unheard; Kira has fallen; died... surrendered. Which path do you choose? Which path do you take? Matsuda is worried; did he make a mistake?
1. Aftermath

"Light! Light, come back here!" Aizawa ran out of the warehouse and after the deceased Chief's son.

Matsuda rose from his spot on the cold ground. He was shakey; he'd never had to fire a shot at anyone before... he never had intended to do so, either. Especially not at the old Chief's son, the elected leader of the Task Force, Yagami Light. Matsuda followed Aizawa into the chilly air outside the warehouse, and Mogi followed behind him.

Aizawa spotted the traitor laying on a staircase. He was drenched in his own blood, and seemed very irresponsive. Matsuda and Mogi caught up to him.

"Yagami Light! You're under arrest! You have-"

"Matsuda..." Aizawa stepped closer to the motionless body on the staircase as he spoke, "shutup."

Matsuda's voice came from behind Aizawa, "Is he-?"

"Yeah..." Aizawa turned around to face his colleges, "He's dead."

Aizawa began to dial a number on his cell phone. "We'll tell them he was killed by Kira..."

A woman picked up on the other end of the phone, "Hello? What's the emergency?"

"Hi... my name's Aizawa, I was working separately from the police division on the Kira case... it seems Kira has attacked my group's leader... we need someone out here right away."

"Oh! I'll send someone over as soon as I can!" She hung up.

"That's it? That's all we're going to do?!" Matsuda asked.

Aizawa nodded, flipping his phone shut, "That's all we _can_ do."

"What about his family?" Mogi inquirred curiously.

Aizawa sighed, "The Yagami women deserve to know that Light has died... but they don't need to know his true identity... they'll have enough grief to deal with as it stands."

The Emergency Units arrived in under two minutes. Aizawa explained the situation to officers who came with several medical squads.

One of the medics noticed the three bullet wounds in Light's flesh, "Hey! He was shot!"

"Looks like he bled to death..."

"Poor guy must've really suffered..."

Matsuda felt guilty. He knew it had been the right thing to do... but he hated himself for it. If he had killed Light, the son of the one man he truely admired, that made him a murderer as well, right? Matsuda watched them heave Light's corpse onto a stretcher. Blood dripped from the dead body onto the pavement, staining the cement with its crimson shade.

"There's another dead man in the warehouse a couple blocks away from here... we've identified him as a man named Mikami." Aizawa informed the police.

"Thanks we'll make sure to take care of this... Aizawa, in the meantime, please make sure the boy's family is notified of this tragic loss, will you?" The officer asked him.

"Yeah, I got it."

The officer nodded and drove off to collect Mikami's corpse. The Emergency Units all sped off, leaving the three remaining members of the Task Force to themselves. Matsuda decided that since he felt at fault for Light's death, that he should also be responsible for announcing it to the Yagami family.

"Aizawa, I think I should tel-"

"No. I will tell the Yagami family of this devastation... and I forbid you from coming in contact with them."

**xXx**

Matsuda sat in his apartment. It was the second day since they found Light's corpse sprawled across a bloodstained staircase. Aizawa had called him on his cell phone that morning to inform him that he was not the cause of Light's death.

"What?" Matsuda had asked into the phone.

Aizawa's voice came through the speaker, "Yeah, the medical core says that Light died of a heart attack... it makes me wonder if he really _was_ killed by Kira... in any case, if the killings stop now, it definitely means that Light was Kira. Anyway, I'll see you at the police station later, okay?"

"Yeah... okay..."

"Alright, bye."

"Bye."

Matsuda felt somewhat better knowing he wasn't the cause of Light's death. However... something still felt out of place. Matsuda's gaze shifted over to a picture on his wall. It was taken a few summers ago when he went to the beach with the Yagami family.

The Chief and his wife were sitting on beach towels under a large umbrella to block out the sun and provide some shade, Light was sitting in the wet sand beside a very architectural sand castle, and Sayu... her mouth was wide open; she was laughing. Why was she laughing? In the bottom of the picture was Matsuda, wailing in pain because a crab attatched itself to his finger. Being the big idiot he is, Matsuda had started flailing his arm around, frantically trying to fling the crab off of him. Needless to say, it was halarious to watch.

Matsuda stared at Sayu's giggling face. She seemed so happy and carefree back then... but nowadays, all Sayu ever seemed to do was cry. Matsuda knew that Aizawa wanted to wait to tell Sayu that Kira had been her brother, but he didn't feel that was a wise choice. He came to a conclusion. Matsuda decided that if he told Sayu the truth now, she would only have to cry one more time before she could be happy again... and he would rather that be sooner than later.

He glanced at the picture one last time before heading out into the chilly night air, "I will make you smile again, Sayu... I promise."

**xXx**

Matsuda stood numbly on Sayu's doorstep. For whatever reason he was suddenly having second thoughts about telling her the truth. Was it her reaction that frightened him? Or was it perhaps the way he seemed to screw everything up when he tried to speak to her? Matsuda smiled internally, it was definitely the latter of the two.

He reached forward, grasping the brass knocker in his palm. Matsuda tapped the knocker against the door several times. He heard a voice from behind the door, "I'm coming..."

As he watched the knob turn and the door creak open slowly, Matsuda's heart began to race faster. Her face came from the shadows of the inside.

Her hair was down, unbrushed... her face was red, and her intricate brown eyes looked swollen from several teary outbursts. She sniffled, "W-what is it you want?"

Matsuda shifted his weight from one foot to another. He wasn't sure how he was going to approach this situation. It wasn't that he enjoyed disobeying the rules... he just felt like this needed to be done. He was risking a lot, just by coming to see her. It was now or never, and Matsuda knew it had to be now.

"Sayu... uhm... there's something... I need to tell you..." Matsuda began, only to have Sayu interrupt, "My brother's dead... I know-sniffle-Aizawa told me this morning... now, if you don't mind... I need to drown my sorrows away in some sake..."

She made to close the door, but Matsuda quickly wedged his toe in the door to keep it from closing. "Sayu... that's not what I was going to say..."

"If it has to do with my brother in any way, I don't want to hear it."

His face became suddenly serious; a face she did not realize Matsuda possessed. Her eyes seemed fixed upon the onyx orbs that were equally tranced upon her gaze. Silence. For what seemed like an eturnity... there was silence between the two.

Finally, Sayu conjured up enough of her old spirit to speak, "Then... perhaps you should come inside..."

She opened the door wider, and allowed him to enter into her dark apartment. She wandered into her kitchen, "Oi! Matsuda-san, want something to drink?"

He inhaled the scent of the air. Disgusting. It smelled like a mixture of smoke and beer. Matsuda's eye were distracted by what Sayu was wearing. It seemed as though she wasn't wearing any shorts, and if she was, then they were hidden beneath the over-sized, black T-shirt she was wearing.

"Erm... yeah... sure."

Sayu brought over a couple of sake bottles. She handed one to Matsuda who hadn't moved from the doorway, then plopped herself down on a busted up couch.

"Make yourself comfortable... sorry it's not very "classy", but I can't afford much of anything else right now..." Sayu reached for a lighter on the empty, overturned crate that was supposed to be some form of a coffee table. She reached into the crease of the couch's cusion and pulled out an opened pack of cigarrettes.

Matsuda couldn't believe what had happend to Sayu. He remembered her as being so happy and cheerful, but now she seemed depressed and she came across as seeing no value in her life anymore. He watched silently as she set the lighter aflame and held the flame close to a cigarrette she'd pulled from the box.

She took a long drag on the cigarrette before exhaling through her nose. Smoke slowly began creeping through the air. She didn't smile, but she asked Matsuda in a playful tone why he was still standing. "You can sit down, you know... or move... or something! Heh, I don't bite... much."

He smiled. Even though she wasn't able to smile, he knew she was trying her hardest to lighten the mood on his account. Although, he must say, gloom really had sucked Sayu in and taken over her life from what he saw. Matsuda knew this wasn't the same Sayu that he'd accidentally fallen for, but he also knew... it wasn't too late to bring her back.

Watching Sayu down her entire bottle in one swig, he unscrewed the cap on his sake and took a sip, not wanting to seem rude to his hostess. Matsuda looked at her moussey eyes again... this time... seeing much pain revealed in them.

"Whatever it is Aizawa sent you to tell me... I can handle it," Sayu told him sharply.

"Aizawa didn't send me... in fact... he forbade me from seeing you."

Sayu laughed, but it was not at all hearty. It was a sickening, mocking laugh that only the most corrupt of people would use. "Is that so? Tell me, Matsu-kuuuuun..." He could tell she'd had enough to drink, "why did you come to see me? You don't seem like the "rule-breaking" type."

Matsuda chose his words carefully, not something he does on a regular basis, "There was something we discovered about Light that Aizawa didn't want you to know..." Matsuda had her full (yet 3/4 drunken) attention now, "Sayu... your brother, Yagami Light..."

Her wide eyes stared at Matsuda. She could hear her heart beating loudly in her chest. What was it? What is it? She wanted to know!

"...was Kira."

Sayu didn't believe the words that came from his mouth. Kira? Her brother? Now that's just ridiculous. Her brother had been a kind guy who was incredibly intelligent and always helping others. He worked very hard for the cause of capturing Kira. Light was a very anti-Kira man, so there was no possible way the he could have been Kira... she resigned to the notion that she would never agree with the facts... but desparately, Sayu wished she could.

"Kira..." she repeated the word, allowing it to roll off her tongue like some sort of poison.

"Yes."

Sayu sighed, "Matsuda..."

"I'm not joking!!" He quickly responded, "Really! I'm telling the truth! Honest!!"

"I know..."

Matsuda didn't understand. She knew? That wasn't exactly the response he had anticipated from her. He watched Sayu put out her cigarrette, smothering it in an ash tray on the crate. She held the empty sake bottle in her callused hands.

"Light... can't be... dead..." A single tear streamed down Sayu's pale face, "Why... Why did it have to be Light?!"

Matsuda breathed her name, "Sayu..."

Wiping her face dry, Sayu explained herself, "I might not be a mad genius like my brother, but I'm not stupid either. When they installed the cameras to keep track of Light I felt totally violated! The house might have been where Light lived, but I lived there too! It was around that time that I started wondering if he actually _was_ Kira... and just before I turned 20... I was captured... I was so scared... I had pretty much convinced myself that Light was Kira by that point, afterall, I had been completing my own undercover investigation for several years... I thought he would kill me rather than give up whatever it was that they were asking for... but... if he killed me it would have blown his cover if he was really Kira... and so I was spared..."

She stood from the couch, casting her emptied bottle to the side of the room. It was only then that Matsuda noticed all of the excessive sake bottles scattered across her floor.

"But... if you knew... then..."

"I wasn't exactly bent on giving up my life in order to stop Kira... besides..." Sayu turned away from Matsuda, "he was my brother... and he wasn't all bad..."

Matsuda nodded. Who better to understand Sayu's exact feelings than he? The Task Force regularly scolded him for praising even the slightest of Kira's murderous actions, telling him to make up his mind or get lost. Matsuda truely was dedicated to stopping Kira for all the wrong he had done... but for the things Kira had stopped or prevented... he was somewhat ashamed to have thought otherwise.

"Well... I should probably head over to the station now... if I'm late Aizawa will have my head!" Matsuda said, changing the depressing subject.

"Well, we can't have that now can we?" Sayu giggled a bit.

That giggle must have escaped from Sayu's old self who was trapped under the weight of a heavy loss. She wasn't smiling, but Matsuda knew it would take awhile for her to move on after such tragedies. He stood, thanking her for the drink. He began walking towards the door...

Leave it to Matsuda to trip over an empty sake bottle on his way out. _CRASH!_ Head first into the wall. Sayu began laughing uncontrollably.

"What a klutz! Wanna watch where you step next time, eh, Matsuda-san? Hehehe!!" Sayu managed to exclaim between her fits of laughter.

Matsuda rubbed his head gingerly, "Ow..."

Yep, that was definitely going to leave a mark. Sayu casually walked over to him, hanging her head over his and looking down into the eyes of the clumsy man. She gave him one of her signature smiles; gentle and loving.

Helping him to his feet, Sayu appologized, "I'm sorry... I really should pick up this dump... are you going to be okay?"

"Me? I'll be fine... but I should really be asking you the same question."

Sayu smiled a very unconvincing smile, "Uh... yeah... I'll... uhm... be alright..."

"Promise you'll call me if you need me, okay?" Matsuda handed her a slip of paper with his cellphone number on it.

"I will... thank you for stopping by to check on me..." Sayu began to blush, clutching the paper tight.

Matsuda also began to blush, "Erm... yeah..."

There was silence for a few moments before Sayu finally said, "You'd better get going then..."

"Right... erm... I'll see you... later, then?" Matsuda asked her unsurely.

Sayu smiled and nodded before waving to him as he left. She closed the door behind him and stared at the slip of paper in her hands. Quickly she stuck it to the refridgerator with a magnet. Suddenly, her stomach began to gripe, and she held a hand to her mouth. Was it the butterflies making a knot in her stomach at the thought of Matsuda?

Sayu ran into the bathroom and proceeded to puke her guts out into the toilet. Butterflies? Erm... no. Sayu learned a very valuable lesson on this night... too much sake will make you vomitt.

**xXx**

"Matsuda! What's wrong with you?! You're late!!" Aizawa screamed.

"Well... uh... you see... it's sort of like this..."

"No! Don't even try to make up some lame-brained excuse! I know the exact reason for your tardiness!" Aizawa was not pleased, he knew there was only one reason Matsuda would come in late, "I thought I told you to stay away from her!"

Matsuda jumped, he didn't think Aizawa would be able to figure it out so fast. Of course... he was Matsuda, so he really never thought at all.

Matsuda made an attempt to deny the persecution, "Erm... no! Y-you've got it wron-"

"Don't even try... it's too obvious... you told Sayu the truth about Light." It wasn't a question, because Aizawa knew it was the answer.

Matsuda sighed, "Okay... yeah... but I-"

"You disobeyed a direct order! Really, Matsuda, can't you even follow the simplest directions?" Aizawa exhaled a heavy sigh, "Well... what's done is done... I suppose... you're working your shift with Ide tonight... just patrolling... do you think you can handle that?"

Matsuda immediately perked up, "Yessir!"

"Fine... go on then..."

Matsuda hurried off to his shift, leaving behind a very annoyed Aizawa.

**xXx**

The night had been completely uneventful. Absolutely nothing exciting had happened while patrolling with Ide. Someone called in a bank robbery, but Ide insisted that they were too far away to help.

Matsuda trudged through the door of his appartment and tiredly hung his jacket on the coat hanger. He sat down on his comfortable couch and decided to watch some TV before he hit the hay. Grabbing the remote, Matsuda flipped to the News channel. The reporter was so enthusiastic he almost seemed unreal.

'This just in! It seems that a fire has broke out early this morning!'

"A fire?" Matsuda asked himself.

'Fire fighters are hurrying to the Ibara Complex. A community of appartments located-'

"Ibara Complex?? That's where Sayu lives!"

'Several of the appartments have been burned to the ground, and several more are expected to follow... No one is quite sure who started the fire or even how. Here are some live shots taken from one of our helicopters...'

Matsuda saw the fire engulfed appartments and the many people watching their homes burn from the streets. He deperately glanced around the screen for Sayu.

'Some are saying that the flames have reached nearly 46 feet into the air. Many of the residents have either been reported missing or dead. Fire fighters are desparately searching for the missing people in the fire. The search continues for Yumane Kaguo, Yuhari Nami, Yoko Tamaki, Ying Tsuchi, Yameru Rukia, Yagami Sayu, Yakaru Sora, Wu Lee-'

Matsuda's eyes flared open and he lept from his seat at the sound of her name, "Sayu!"

Suddenly, Matsuda's cellphone began ringing. He pulled the device from his back pocket. He stared disbelievingly at the caller ID...

Yagami Sayu.

Quickly he flipped the phone open, "Hello?!"

"Matsuda!! Help me!!" The line went dead.

"Sayu?! Sayu!!"

Matsuda dropped the phone to the floor and ran out into the early morning light, praying he reached Sayu in time.

* * *

__

_Just so everyone knows, I am assuming that Sayu is 3 years younger than Light. He died at the age of 23 which would mean Sayu is 20. The legal drinking age in Japan is 20, so Sayu isn't breaking any laws or anything. It's the same for smoking, too. Okay, just thought I'd add that in there._

What do you think is going to happen next?

Review? :(


	2. Fire Hazard

"Sir! Wait! You can't go in there!!" the fire fighters called after him.

He didn't care. He didn't want to care. There was only one person on his mind... one woman who was on the verge of losing her life. Matsuda wouldn't allow her to suffer the same way Takada had. Matsuda wondered if Kira was still alive... toying with his emotions... playing with his mind. He wondered if Kira intended to kill the whole Yagami family. It was difficult for Matsuda to accept that Light was Kira... somehow he still felt like kira was watching their every move... tracking them only to hunt them down later for a bounty.

The smoke burned his eyes as he lept into the flames. "Sayu!!" The coughing from lack of oxygen was making his voice hoarse and weak.

Matsuda was beginning to wonder if he was really going to make it out of this alive... and what about Sayu? Was she already dead? Or had she escaped from the flames already? Would he ever know?

A woman's voice screeched from nearby, "Help me!! I-I'm -cough- I'm stuck...!!"

He followed the sound. To his disappointment the woman was not Sayu. She was pinned to the ground by a fallen beam; Matsuda was surprised that the woman was still concious. Her eyes pleaded silently for his aid. "Hold still!!" he ordered.

Matsuda wasn't about to just allow her to perish in this fire. He hefted the beam up as far as he could, which added up to about 4 inches above her body. She slid herself out from under the beam's path. As soon as she was safe, Matsuda dropped the beam. It was only then that he noticed the woman he'd saved was pregnant.

"Are you -cough- okay?" Matsuda managed to ask.

She nodded, "Who are -cough-...?"

"Get out of here! It isn't safe! There's -cough- an opening that way... do you think you can make it?!"

She attempted to ask again through her coughing spells, "Who are you?"

"Matsuda Touta..." He pushed her out of the way of another falling beam, "This roof is gonna collapse any minute! Go!"

He didn't have to say anything more to her before she left. The woman was lucky he'd found her. Matsuda hated to think of what harm would have befallen her had he not come to her rescue. Unfortunately, the time he spent saving her only increased the chances of his not saving Sayu.

**xXx**

Aizawa flipped on his television. He figured that he should check up on the News. He reached for his TV remote, punching in the numbers that would take him to the News Channel. Aizawa went into his kitchen to make himself a glass of coffee, opting to listen to the news rather than watch it.

'This fire that broke out across the Ibara Complex nearly an hour ago only seems to be getting stronger as time goes on...' The News Lady said.

He listened intently, knowing that Sayu lived in that area. With any luck, she was one of the many who were already rescued from the flames... at least for Matsuda's sake if not for the girl's own good. Suddenly, there seemed to be some sort of commotion as a young woman raced out of a hazardous section of the natural disaster. The TV news crews and medical officers were all over her in a matter of seconds, asking her questions and examining her condition.

'It seems one of the remaining people trapped in the fire has found their way out! Miss! Miss! Can we get your name?' The reporter inquirred.

The woman looked at the camera blankly. Her face was covered in sweat and soot, and the split ends of her hair were slightly singed. 'My name is Yuhari Nami...'

'Miss. Yuhari, can we ask what happend?'

Aizawa planted himself in front of the TV with a fresh cup of coffee in his hand.

'I was stuck... under a fallen beam. No one could hear me calling... but then... a man... a man came and saved my life...'

The reporter seemed thrilled with her answer, 'A man? Really? How very interesting, could you tell us more about him? Was he one of the residents, a fire fighter, or do you think he was some sort of appirition?'

The pregnant woman smiled. 'He wasn't any of those... but he was looking for someone... a girl... I heard him say her name was Sayu.'

Aizawa spit his coffee all over the sofa. Sayu? As in... Yagami Sayu?

As if the reporter could read his thoughts, she asked, 'Could this girl he was looking for perhaps be Yagami Sayu? She's still missing to our knowledge.'

'It's possible.'

'Alright, one more question, please? Do you know what this stranger's name was?'

All Aizawa could think in his head was... Please don't say Matsuda Touta, please don't say Matsuda Touta!!

She smiled again, 'As a matter-of-fact, I did happen to catch his name... he called himself...'

Please not...!!

'Matsuda Touta.'

Aizawa stood from his seat, "WHAAAATT?! Matsuda! That fool!!"

His wife came into the living room, rubbing one of her eyes sleepily, "Honey? What's the matter? The girls are still asleep, can you try to be quieter? What's going on?"

'Well there you have it! A mysterious Mr. Matsuda is frantically searching through the fire for the still missing locals. We will continue to keep you upda-'

Aizawa turned the TV power off. "I have to go..."

"Go? But you just got home!" She argued.

He placed his hands on her shoulders, "I know... but this is of life and death importance... I promise I'll be home before breakfast. Don't worry."

Aizawa kissed her forehead affectionately before hurrying out the door. That idiot Matsuda was always caught up in some form of trouble.

**xXx**

Sayu army-crawled her way across the littered floor of her flaming appartment. She was completely surrounded by fire. There was no way she was going to escape out of this with her life. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. At least she'd gotten to hear Matsuda's voice one last time before she joined her brother in death. She turned herself onto her back to stare up at the ceiling. Sayu wiped some sweat away from her brow with the back of her hand. This was it. This was the end. She closed her eyes, prepared to willingly walk into death's arms.

"Sayuuu!"

Her eyes flared open. It was impossible. He couldn't really be running around in this death trap looking for her, could he?! No... she was just imagening things. The thought of death plays with the mind's notions of reality. She sighed, hearing the crackling and popping of the fire. Somehow, the sounds had become quite comforting to her. Why wait? The fire was slowly enveloping everything... why not speed the the process up by jumping into the fire herself?

Sayu heard the ceiling begin to crack, the plaster crumbling onto her face some. She could perhaps wait for the ceiling to cave-in. That certainly wouldn't take too much longer. Yeah... cave-in sounded pretty good. Sayu really didn't feel like moving around too much.

His voice came again. Louder this time. Sayu's brows furrowed. She didn't want to believe that he was actually here being stupid as usual, and... oh no. Stupid as usual? Stupid... Matsuda was incredibly stupid!! What an idiot!! He was really here looking for her, wasn't he?! There was no way her mind was playing tricks on her now. Sayu sat on her knees, not wanting to stand all the way up. She didn't know if he was headed in her direction or not. She hoped not at least. The roof would collapse any second now, and she didn't want him getting crushed along with herself.

"Sayu, are you in here?!" Matsuda called, he was beginning to wonder if she was even still alive at all.

What would she do? The ceiling was beginning to give way. If she responded to him he would only get crushed too... if she didn't... who knows what would happen to him. She didn't know if he would keep searching or if he would just stop.

"Matsu-cough-I'm over-cough cough cough cough-!!" Her sentence was completely interrupted by a coughng spell; she didn't even know if he could hear her.

"Sayu?! Where are you?" He sounded as though he was pleading.

"Over he-cough cough-re!"

He followed the sound of her voice and was met by a wall of flame seperating himself from her. Matsuda could tell she was just on the other side. "I'm coming to get you!"

Her eyes widend, was he really that stupid?! "NO!!"

"What?!"

"The ceiling is-cough-about to collaspse! You'll never make it out in time!!"

"I don't care! I'm coming in to get you!"

"Matsuda, no, y--!!" The roof fell on top of her, cutting her sentence short.

Matsuda had been spared from the roof's fury, but he couldn't believe that he'd come this far just to lose her. "Sayu!! Sayuuu!!"

Matsuda lept through the flames, not caring that they singed his clothing or burned his skin. He dug frantically through the pile of cinders and burning floorboards. Her body lay limp and lifeless on the bottom. He couldn't form words to describe his feelings or even to describe what had just happend. There was only one word that could escape his mouth in a hushed whisper, "No..."

He gathered Sayu in his arms. If nothing else, he had to escape with her body. Matsuda lifted her form with him as he stood. The floor below him would break down soon, and he didn't want to be standing on it when it did. He was carrying Sayu's body bridal style, trying to choose the best paths out that would not hurt either of them. Eventually he made it to safety. As he emerged from the endless fire, he was bombarded by the press, medical officers, fire fighters, and police men who wanted to ask him questions or reward him some way.

Matsuda fell to his knees craddling Sayu in his arms. Aizawa knelt down beside him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. The medics hurried to place Sayu on a stretcher, though Matsuda was reluctant to remove himself from her. The paramedics also gave him a rough examination before deciding it would probably be best if he was taken to the hospital as well. Aizawa volunteered to escort him there.

The two men got into Aizawa's car and drove off. Matsuda was sitting in the back, sprawled out across the seat. "What were you thinking?!" Aizawa scolded him.

Matsuda couldn't really hear him anymore, he was exhaughsted, and tired. He hadn't slept since yesterday... and even that wasn't a very good sleep.

"Matsuda! I'm talking to you!!"

"Look, I dunno, okay?!" He was getting kind of cranky.

Aizawa smiled some, "It's okay. I was only going to say that you did the right thing."

"Really? You mean it? Honestly?"

"Yeah. You ended up saving a lot of peoples' lives today... but only because no one else was stupid enough to go into that firey pit!"

Matsuda didn't know if he was supposed to take that as an insult or a compliment. Aizawa continued, "You know... you're all over the news right now. Saving people and whatnot. As soon as the press finds out what room you're in they're going to be all over you... I'll try to keep them at a safe distance though."

"Okay... thanks, Aizawa." Matsuda said half-heartedly.

He really was grateful the Aizawa wasn't mad at him and was actually willingly to help him out, but he was too busy thinking of Sayu. Of what he was going to have to explain to Mrs. Yagami when she finds out that not only did her husband and son die, but her daughter as well. The aching pain in his heart was hard for him to ignore.

"We're here." Aizawa announced, "Let's hurry up and get you inside."

* * *

_Please review! Thanks._


	3. Sleep Talking

Matsuda peered out his hospital room door. No one appeared to be in the hallway waiting to pounce on him. He'd been trying to sneak out of his room from the time he was detained here a few days ago. the only thing Matsuda wanted to do was visit sayu's room... if only for a minute.

The last thing he'd remembered seeing was Sayu's pale face as he held tightly to her limp body and was forcefully removed from her side. The medical team was required to take her to the hospital anyway, and although Matsuda didn't know it at the time, she had not been announced dead upon arrival.

Ever since Aizawa had let it slip that sayu was still alive, Matsuda had been all too eager to find a way to see her face once more. Unfortunately, several obstacles stood in his way. The press was constantly trying to get photos of the "Local Hero", and Aizawa was always telling him to lie down or he'll never recover. Then there was always those doctors and nurses telling him to return to his room, or shoving him out of the way for a more important patient.

Either way, Matsuda still attempted to sneak into her room. This had to be his chance... though his escape would probably be caught on camera all the same. He hurried down the hallway and entered room 202, which happend to be seven doors down the hallway from his own room.

Yagami Sayu was laying on the bed motionless. Her breathing was stable, but seemed weak. He pulled a chair to her bedside and sat. He would wait here forever if he had to, but Matsuda vowed he would not leave this room until sayu opened her eyes. Between his two palms he held her hand. Nothing would make him let go. Nothing could make him let go.

She was hooked up to a machiene reading her heart rate. It bleeped in a steady rythem. There was an IV attached to her left arm, and her left leg was in a brace. Matsuda guessed she had a minor fracture. She was so irresponsive it seemed unreal, yet Matsuda remained still. Waiting... just waiting for her eyes to flutter open and reveal her beautiful brown orbs to the world again.

Suddenly, a nurse entered the room. She dropped her clipboard when she saw Matsuda sitting in the room beside Sayu's bed. He turned to face her, smiled quickly, then redirected his attention back to Sayu. She had fair skin and short-cropped black hair jutting out from all angles of her head. Her eyes were a strange violet color. Matsuda guessed it was the product of red contacts over blue eyes.

"U-uhm... I didn't know anyone was visiting in here... no one was on the list so I figured-"

Matsuda's features remained fixed upon Sayu's face, "I didn't know there was a list... I'm from a room a few doors down the hall. I've been wanting to visit her for sometime now... finally took the initiative this morning. Please don't mind me."

She gathered her clipboard from off the floor. "Who are you again?"

"Matsuda Touta."

"Oh. Room 195, right?"

"Yes."

"Okay." She smiled, "Are you going to be staying with her for now?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll make sure the front desk knows that... I'm just here to check on her anyway. She hasn't woken yet." The nurse frowned, "If she even begins to stir, please call the front desk. There's an intercom over there, okay? All you have to do is press the button and begin speaking."

"All right. I'll remember to do that." Matsuda promised.

She stood in the doorway for a moment to take in the scene before her eyes. Her light smile returned to her face. It was full of sympathy and compassion. "I've never seen any man so dedicated to a woman before... you must really love her."

Matsuda wasn't even thinking when the words fell from his mouth, "More than she knows."

The nurse nodded then left, choosing to leave them alone for the timebeing. She figured she could entrust Sayu to him for awhile. It was probably an hour or so later that Aizawa entered the room along with Mrs. Yagami. They weren't as surprised as the nurse had been that Matsuda was at Sayu's bedside.

"Is she all right??" Mrs. Yagami asked frantically, stealing Matsuda's place beside Sayu.

He answered calmly, "As far as I can tell. The doctors are saying she'll make a full recovery."

Mrs. Yagami hadn't been able to compose herself enough for a hospital visit until early this morning apparently. Her face was full of horror as she gazed at the pale lifelessness of Sayu. She ran her fingers through her daughter's hair. Aizawa and Matsuda stood back and watched.

"You idiot." Aizawa whispered to his incompetent underling, "I thought I told you to stay away from Sayu's room!"

"You did, but I'm tired of people always telling me what to do. I don't want to have others making decisions for me my whole life. I'm not going to waste the life that wasn't taken away by Kira."

Aizawa sighed and muttered under his breath, "Baka."

A feeble voice drew the attention of the three visitors to the young woman laying on the bed, "Id-iot... no..."

Mrs. Yagami gasped and Matsuda was over beside the two women in an instant. Aizawa called down to the front desk using the intercom.

_'Yes?'_

_'We're in Yagami Sayu's room, 202. She's beginning to regain conciousness.'_

He listened to the chaos going on in the background as the secratary was calling in numerous doctors and nurses to rush up to the room.

_'Please evacuate the room. No more visits today.'_ Her end became too static-y for communication.

Mrs. Yagami's eyes were horror-struck. "What?! Why do we have to leave?" She grabbed the cuff of Matsuda's collar and shook him wildly, "Answer me, damn it!!"

"I-I don't know!"

She turned to the new police chief, "Tell me Aizawa, what's going on??"

His head swayed from side-to-side, "I wish I knew."

The feeble voice came again, "Mat... su... -kun."

He removed her mother's death grip from his shirt and knelt beside the moussey-haired girl, "What is it, Sayu?"

Her head moved slightly toward the sound of his voice. It was obvious she was too weak to open her eyes. "Don't... lea-ve... me."

Her hand didn't know where to go, but she twitched her fingers. She was able to muster up enough strength to face her palm upward. Matsuda took her hand between his own again. Her fingers were so cold against his. He could feel her mother's dagger glare pirecing through the back of his head. He knew how opposed she was to his attraction to Sayu... especially since the old chief once had the same opposition. Now Mrs.Yagami's prohibitation was even greater than before. After her husband was killed by Kira, she felt the compelling need to continue to enforce the rules of the family as if he were still around. Instead of just _her_ rejection, she now does the job of giving Matsuda both hers _and_ her deceased husband's.

Aizawa placed a hand on her shoulder, "C'mon. We have to get outta here."

"But what about_ him?!_" She pointed a finger accusatively at Matsuda, "I refuse to leave him in here _alone_ with my daughter!!"

Suddenly the doctors burst into the room, tearing Matsuda's hand away from Sayu's. The nurse from earlier pulled the three visitors from the room and stood them against the wall of the hallway. "Sorry, but you all are going to have to leave."

A blood-curtling scream filled the hall from Sayu's room. Matsuda's ears pricked up, and the distress on Mrs. Yagami's face was clearly readable... even Aizawa looked a bit uneasy.

"What are they doing?? What are they doing to my baby?!" Mrs. Yagami was beginning to panic.

The nurse also seemed a bit worried. It was obvious that she was unused to screams so panic-inducing. "Well, Doctor Utashima was going to give her more pain killers and try to ask her a few questions to make sure no harm was done to her brain from the building collapse."

A short and stoutly blonde nurse rushed into the hallway, "Eri, do you know a Matsuda Touta??"

The violet-eyed nurse blinked a few times before asking, "Why?"

"She won't settle down! The girl pulled the IV right out of her arm, and she won't listen to us at all! She refuses to take the pain killers, and-and..."

"And _what?!_" Mrs. Yagami pressed, her eyes full of worry.

There were tears forming in the blonde's eyes. She quickly wiped them away before anyone could notice. "Miss Sayu doesn't believe us when we say that Mr. Matsuda is alive. She thinks he's dead and that we're just saying he's alive so she'll calm herself. She threatend to throw herself off the balcony if we didn't bring Matsuda Touta to her immediately!! I'm so scared, Eri!! I-I don't know what to do!!"

Matsuda didn't even wait for an invatation to run back into the room. Sayu was standing akwardly by the balcony railing, positioned just right that one little wrong move would send her falling over the edge. The doctor and a couple other nurses were standing far away from her to give her some space.

"Sayu!" Matsuda shouted upon entry.

She stared at him with her brown eyes, studying every feature and characteristic of his intensely. "Come one step closer and I'll jump!!" She warned him.

"Sayu, I've jumped off a balcony before... trust me, it's not a smart thing to do."

"I don't care! You're not even the real Matsuda!! You're just an imposter those baffoons with the needles brought here to silence me!!"

"So... you don't want to believe _me_ either then, huh?" His expression was pained.

"Tell me something only Matsuda would know..." She suggested, "maybe then I'll believe you."

This new opportunity to prove himself to Sayu made Matsuda determined to convince her of who he was. The only problem was, he couldn't think of anything that only he would know. "Like what?" He asked.

"What happend to me? In the fire..."

She was right. Only he would know that. He was the one who rescued her. "Come closer and maybe I'll tell you."

Sayu didn't want to get jumped by the doctors, but she hobbled away from the railing and waited. Matsuda stepped closer to her and whispered into her ear, "I dug you out of the rubble and carried you to safety... I thought you were dead... I wasn't able to visit you until today."

"You're lying..." She whispered back.

"I'm not. They had to literally tear me away from you. Both at the fire escapade and today."

She stared at his face again. For what felt like the first time in ages, Sayu smiled. Matsuda carried her back into her room and sat her on the bed. He pulled up a chair beside her and gave her a serious look. "Sayu, you need to listen to these guys. I don't want you getting hurt again."

She winced and instinctively reached for her leg. Matsuda knew she needed more pain killers now. He motioned for the doctor to come over to her.

"Well, I... I'm certainly sorry for the mix up, Miss Sayu." Utashima appologized.

Her eyes widend when she saw the needle in his hands. She attempted to hide herself behind Matsuda. "What on Earth-? Sayu, what are you doing?" Matsuda asked her, puzzled.

She pointed at the object in Utashima's hand, "Needles. I can't stand them."

The doctor sighed. It was obvious he was out of his league of expertise with this patient. "I don't have any other way of giving you this injection, my dear. If you choose not to take it I won't argue with you, but your leg will not be giving you a pleasant feeling."

Sayu held her breath and reluctantly allowed the doctor to inject the painkillers into her leg. They almost immediately took effect. The doctor pulled up another chair so that he could speak with her on a comfortable level. "Now, what was the last thing you remember?"

Matsuda looked at her curiously. That was a question he'd wanted to ask her, too. Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember, "Matsuda was... on the other side of a firey wall... and then... the roof collapsed when I tried to tell him to get away. That's the last thing I remember."

The doctor nodded, "Okay, you pass the short-term memory loss test. How about the long-term. What's your name?"

"Yagami Sayu."

"Hair color? Eye color? Your address? Do you have pets? Siblings?"

"Brown, Brown, Ibara Complex 3584 Kei St, No, and..." she wasn't sure how to answer the last question, "My brother is dead."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Do you remember his name?"

"Yagami Light."

"I see. Thank you very much for answering my questions, Sayu. You passed the tests. I'd like to keep you here for one more night, though. Mr. Matsuda, you are free to leave whenever you please."

Matsuda nodded, "Thanks."

"Oh, and Sayu, one more thing." he paused, "The reason I asked you your address was to confirm that your appartment is no longer standing. You're going to need to locate a replacement home."

"Okay, thanks for the heads up." She watched him leave the room.

Sayu began talking to Matsuda immediately, "Matsuda... it didn't even phase me when he asked about Light. That's amazing!! But my home is gone... I don't even have a place to live anymore."

Matsuda blushed. He just got a crazy thought... and he was sure Sayu would think it too forward of him, but considering the pickle she's in, he figured that he might as well offer. "You could always stay at my palce if you wanted... er- you know... until you find a place of your own."

She blinked. His generosity caught her off guard. "Well, I-I mean..." She wanted to say something like 'Oh hells yeah!!' but she didn't want to seem too eager which made her acceptance turn into a stutter, "Uhm... s-sure. That sounds good."

He smiled at her, "Okay then... can you tell me something, though, Sayu?"

"Hm? Sure."

His blush returned, "When you... were unconcious... you called me Matsu-kun... and when you woke up... you screamed."

A pink stain spread itself across Sayu's face, "Well... I... erm... was dreaming..."

"About _me?_"

"Well, yeah!! Your idiotic face was the last thing I saw before I blacked-out! Then I thought we were dead! I kept reliving the last moment we'd been together... the moment we died... Then I could hear voices, so I knew I was alive. I didn't know where they were coming from... but they were close, and someone was holding my hand. But I thought _you_ were dead... and I wanted someone to tell me differently. I said your name... I wanted you to answer me..."

"But I did."

"Shutup!" Her blush deepend in color, "I had no way of knowing if that was really you! Because when I woke up there were a bunch of strangers over me with needles and whatnot!! They scared the living shit outta me!! Is it any wonder I screamed?? But the fact that you weren't there... it made me believe my worst fears. The fact that when I'd asked for Matsuda to talk to me while I was unconcious someone spoke made me feel like I'd been lied to. I couldn't trust anyone in the room. I wanted to join you... I said I would. I said I'd join you in death..."

"Join _me_? Why wouldn't you join Light-kun? Or your father?"

A new shade of red spread across her face, "I DON'T KNOW!! I just... I wanted to be... with _you_... and if you weren't alive then I wasn't going to be either. Then they're all telling me you're alive... that you're in the building. To me they were just a bunch of liars... I told them to prove it. To bring you to me... but you came on your own... when I saw you standing there... I was so happy... but pain hit me and I felt betrayed... You were an illusion... the real Matsuda Touta was dead... but I was wrong, wasn't I? Here we are."

"Here we are." He agreed with a smile.

* * *

_Awww!! That's so fluffy at the end!! X3_

_I hope everyone liked it! Please review your thoughts to me!! Thanks!_


	4. Love is Ageless

Matsuda had chosen to spend the extra night in the hospital with Sayu. The girl did not object to that, nor did any of the medical staff. He stood from the chair he had been sleeping in. It wasn't the most comfortable of sleeping arrangements, but he would do nearly anything to be with Sayu in her time of need.

Sayu was already awake, her brown orbs glistening in the morning light. "Well, well... did you have a nice rest, Sleeping Beauty?"

"Would have been nicer if I'd slept in a bed." Matsuda remarked, stretching his body out.

She slid out from under the covers of her sterilized bed. It wasn't exactly the quietest of things, and she had been afraid of waking the man if she moved in even the slightest of manners. The brace around her left leg was bulky and annoyed her, but she chose to keep her complaints to herself.

Aizawa had gone to the fire site early that morning to try and find anything of Sayu's. Unfortunately, his search turned up fruitless. Nothing of Sayu's had survived the flames. The thought was somewhat depressing to Sayu, although she really didn't have much in the first place.

A knock came at their door before Dr. Utashima entered. "Good morning!" He greeted them cheerfully, "I trust no incidents happened last night?"

"None at all." Sayu replied, feeling a bit hurt that he would be so cruel as to bring up her little episode the previous day.

"Good. Mr. Matsuda..."

"Hm? Yeah?"

"There's a woman who would like you to visit her before you leave. On your way out perhaps?" Utashima asked.

Matsuda didn't like all the "hero worship" he was getting from people. However, he supposed he could spare one patient a short visit. Although, he wasn't keen on the idea of leaving Sayu alone. "Do you think she would mind if I brought Sayu along?"

Utashima seemed to think it over. "I really don't want many people visiting her right now... but I will ask her if Miss. Yagami may tag along as well... should I tell her you will drop by soon?"

"Yes. Thank you."

Utashima nodded and ducked out of the room. Sayu raised a brow. "And who would this woman be?"

Did Matsuda detect a hint of jealousy in her voice? "I'm not sure really. Heh, don't worry, I don't plan to stay long. We'll just pop in for a minute and then shove off. All right?"

Sayu sighed, "Okay..."

**xXx**

Matsuda and Sayu headed toward the elevator. Sayu wasn't very fond of elevators, but she didn't want to be taking the stairs with the brace on her leg. The woman they were going to go visit was staying in a room on the third floor, which was one floor higher than the one they were currently on.

The elevator ride was slow and wracked Sayu's nerves. She didn't feel safe until she was out of the claustrophobic's box of nightmares. Matsuda looked at the slip of paper holding the room number on it. "This says she's in room 347..."

"Well then it should be right down this hallway..." Sayu pointed to the numbers listed on the door just outside the elevator, "This room is 343."

Matsuda nodded. They followed the hallway at a snail-like pace, for Sayu had issues walking fast in her brace. She was curious as to who this woman was. It could just be another one of his "worshippers" but what if it wasn't? Sayu shook off the thought. She didn't want to be thinking about that.

They finally came to room 347. Matsuda wasn't sure what awaited him on the other side of the door, but he turned the knob anyway. He peeked his head into the room to see the woman lying on the bed. As he entered the room, she turned to see who her visitor was. A bright smile spread across her face.

"Oh, Matsuda! I'm so glad you came here to visit me!"

Matsuda recognized her now. She was the pregnant woman he'd saved from the fire. Sayu slowly entered the room. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the woman lying on the bed. The only thing she could tell for sure was that the woman was extremely sleep deprived.

The woman slid out of the bed to greet them. Her green eyes met Sayu's brown ones. Sayu, uncomfortable being watched, smiled akwardly and appologized, "S-sorry. I know you really didn't want me to come visit... eheh."

She gave Sayu a very mother-like expression, "Oh no, I don't mind at all. You must be Yagami Sayu, right?"

It was strange to have someone you've never met before know your name. Sayu didn't really like that feeling; it just made everything a bit more akward. "Yes... er... I am."

The woman's smile was very kind, and her words were very soothing, "You're very beautiful. Matsuda, I can see why you would brave the fires of hell for such a girl." Matsuda blushed as she said those words.

"My name is Yuhari Nami," she explained to Sayu, "Matsuda saved me from the fire that night as well. I am eternally in his debt, and it's a debt I don't know that I can repay..."

"It's all right." Matsuda assured her, "Don't worry about it."

Nami's smile remained on her face, but then her eyes suddenly got wild with excitement. "Oh! Please sit down and make yourselves comfortable!! There's someone I want you to meet!"

As Nami left the room, Matsuda looked at Sayu and gave her a shrug, taking a seat on the pull out couch that was pushed up against one of the walls. Sayu joined him, not sure what else to do.

"Why did you choose to save Nami?" Sayu wondered curiously.

"It wasn't a choice for me. I just... had to. I didn't even realize she was pregnant until after I'd rescued her."

"How many other people did you save?" Sayu added, "Besides Nami and me."

Matsuda smiled at her, "Two. Misora Akane and Wu Lee. Their injuries weren't extensive, so I'm sure they've been sent home to their families by now."

Matsuda really was a hero... he'd saved four lives and not perished himself. It was a great deed worthy of praise, Sayu thought, but she knew he had become tired of all the praise he received. They sat in silence for awhile and waited for Nami to return. She finally came through the door with an unusual cart. Sayu's eyes widened when she realized what it was.

They stood from the couch toget a better look atNami's baby.

Nami lifted the newborn out of it's hospital crib and craddled it in her arms. The baby was wrapped up in a blanket to keep it warm. Sayu smiled inwardly. Matsuda hadn't saved four lives... he'd saved five.

"I haven't chosen a name for him yet..." Nami placed the baby in Matsuda's arms, "I thought maybe you should be the one to name him."

"Me?" Matsuda asked, trying to concentrate on not dropping the child.

Nami smiled, "You saved my life as well as my child's. I can't think of a more perfect way to thank you and show you how eternally grateful I am."

Sayu looked over Matsuda's shoulder to see the sleeping boy's face. Sayu secretly wished she had one. She wanted a baby to call hers. She couldn't help but wonder aloud, "Isn't naming your child the job of the parents? How does your husband feel about Matsuda naming his son?"

Nami's smile faded. "My husband..." Sayu noticed a tear slide down Nami's face, "I don't have a husband... but my boyfriend is dead."

Sayu raised her hand to her mouth with a light gasp. She didn't mean to bring painful memories to Nami's mind, she had only meant for it to be a simple question. Sayu rested her hand on Nami's shoulder, "I'm sorry."

"I'm 34 years old... I can handle myself... I always had before... but when he came into my life I was so happy. He was older than me... _much_ older... and then we were expecting our first child. He was so excited. I was, too... we were planning on getting married after our baby was born... but something terrible happened."

"You don't have to tell us." Sayu said, trying to comfort the woman.

"No... but I want to." Nami continued, "You see... it was a few months ago... he was driving me home from one of my check-ups with the doctor. A driver hit our car from the side and although he tried to swerve around it, we ran off road and crashed into a gas line that had been dug up during some construction."

Sayu gasped. The outcome of this story must be terrible indeed. Sayu couldn't think of anything good coming from this tale.

Despite Sayu's gasp, Nami continued her story, "My boyfriend almost literally threw me out of the car. Though we tried to run, we weren't able to escape the explosion. He shielded me with his own body, and died from his noble act. I learned later that the man who had crashed into our car was an ex-convict. An autopsy revealed that he had been killed by a sudden heart attack... it is my belief Kira killed that man."

Nami's sadness was slowly becoming anger, "Because of Kira that driver died at the wheel and caused a deadly car accident... because that car accident involved us, my boyfriend was killed... because my boyfriend was killed my child will grow up without a father!! Does that seem right? Kira ruined my life! Because of Kira I've almost died twice now!! He says he lives to protect the innocent by killing the evil. But by killing those people, he is inadvertantly harming the innocent lives he claims to protect!! The mere thought sickens me!"

She took a moment to calm herself. "But I can't change the past... the father of my child is dead... and I have to move on with a smile because the future is actually starting tolook bright."

Sayu had been crushed, smashed, thrown on the ground, and stomped on by Nami's words. Kira was Yagami Light... Kira was her brother. Nami's words, although Sayu was careful to not let it show, had struck an invisible blow to her heart.

"If you don't mind my asking... what was your boyfriend's name?" Sayu wondered, trying to keep from allowing herself to choke up.

"Tenjo Ichiru."

Matsuda smiled, "Although it's not customary... I know what I want to name your son."

Nami looked at him patiently, waiting for the name her savior would bestow upon her child. Sayu looked at him as if he were crazy. She felt it was ridiculous that Matsuda would even consider naming Nami's baby. Matsuda looked Nami in the eye as he spoke, "Tenjo Udeki."

Nami's gentle smile spread across her features. She liked the name Matsuda chose. Matsuda was careful when handing the newborn back to it's mother. Nami craddled the infant in her arms. "My baby... Tenjo Udeki... that name is perfect. Thank you so much Matsuda! Thank you!"

Sayu smiled, too. The word 'Udeki' had a rough translation to great accomplishments. She knew that it would hold hope for not only Nami, but for the baby as well. Matsuda had sensed the deep connection that had been shared between Nami and her now deceased boyfriend while she was retelling her story. Matsuda decided that whatever name he gave the boy, the surname should be the father's. He was pleased that Nami approved of the chosen name.

"Well, Sayu and I had better get going. Be sure to stay in touch, Yuhari." Matsuda told her as he and Sayu headed for the door.

"Absolutely." Nami waved goodbye as the two left her room.

**xXx**

"Well, this is it." Matsuda told her with a smile, producing a key from his pocket.

Sayu felt slightly uncomfortable taking advantage of Matsuda's hospitality. Of what she had seen of the area he lived in, it was a very nice place. There were ponds of crystal clear water and a light layer of frost had rested upon the sweet green grass. His appartment complex looked brand new, unlike hers had. He lived on the second floor, which meant they had to take the stairs to get to his living space.

She examined the door, as the clumbsy Matsuda fumbled with the key and the door knob. The three numbers that marked his door in black were 165. He had an autumn wreath attached to the knocker. It had several hues of orange, red, and yellow adorning the leaves. The door itself was white, not a single mark or stain on it. Matsuda finally got it open.

"Ah, there we go. Home sweet home, I suppose."

His guest took a moment to glance around the small area. Quickly Matsuda began explaining where things were to her, "Uh... uhm... that's the kitchen... and the living room is there! And... er... the bathroom is over there!"

Sayu couldn't surpress her light giggle, "I see... so where are the bedrooms?"

"Erm... here, I'll show you!" Matsuda announced, taking her by the hand.

He felt somewhat akward having her in his home, but he wanted to be able to keep an eye on her... for various reasons. Matsuda led her down a small hallway; at the end were two rooms.

"This one here is mine..." he pointed to the door on the right before opening the door on the left, "and this one is yours."

Sayu's room wasn't anything extravagent; she didn't expect it to be. It was very simple, in fact. A bed, a night stand, a closet, and a dresser complete with her own personal mirror.

"You're welcome to anything in my place... you don't even have to ask; just make yourself at home."

Sayu nodded, "Thank you Matsuda. That's very kind of you."

"Is there anything you need? I can-"

"No," Sayu laughed, she could see how strange it was for him to have her there, "I'm fine, thanks."

Matsuda smiled. He was glad he could at least get Sayu to laugh with his idiocy and discomfort if nothing else. He decided he would leave her to her thoughts, then. A lot had happened in the past few days... there was so much for her to take in. Matsuda thought perhaps it would be better if she had some time to think things through on her own.

Sayu didn't have much to her name anymore, and after her father died she found it difficult to uphold a job. Once Light died, Sayu became so consumed by grief she had found it impossible to work anymore. Without any income Sayu couldn't pay for her insurance, she couldn't pay her bills, and she could barely even afford food. Part of that had been due to the amount of money she spent on her newfound addiction to alcohol and cigarettes, which she was now trying to steer herself away from.

Sayu realized what a mess she'd become... but she had no way of knowing how to pull herself out of the hole she had dug... no way... until Matsuda came along. When she was around him she was better not because she wanted to be better, but because she _had_ to be better. She had to be a better person for no one but Matsuda. Until Matsuda had found his way into her home on the day of the fire, Sayu didn't know what she had been living for. Seeing his face so pained by the person she'd become made her feel guilty.

With her father and brother dead, and her mother who wanted nothing to do with Sayu's new lifestyle, Sayu felt shut out from the world. She hadn't been expecting Matsuda to show up that night, especially when Aizawa had been to her humble little abode only days prior. He didn't even have much to say to her... he just wanted her to know he cared... and that's all Sayu had ever asked from anyone.

She felt her life was dedicated to Matsuda now more than ever. She only indebted her life to this man; why was it she felt something was missing? There were emotions battling inside her for dominence, and Sayu didn't know what that meant. Something made her heart flutter now everytime she even thought of his name... could it be...? No. Sayu had convinced herself she would not fall in love with Matsuda.

He was too old for her. She had reminded herself of that fact consistantly. Yet something argued that love knew no bounds as trivial as age, for love itself was timeless. The mere thought annoyed Sayu. Though from what Nami had said there was a large age gap between her and Ichiru, and it didn't change anything. Her conflicted emotions argued back and forth. The memory of her brother and Misa sitting at the coffee table with her father and Matsuda as her mother passed out a fresh batch of tea popped into Sayu's head. Sayu sighed. That's all it was now... a memory.

Matsuda had told her how "grown up" and beautiful she'd become. Sayu smiled as she thought of those words, but her smile quickly faded when she remembered how overbearingly protective her parents had been. Matsuda hadn't even suggested anything and they'd shot him down. Saying they would never even dream of allowing her to marry a cop. Sayu's brows furrowed. Her damn parents weren't in charge of her life anymore. Her father was dead, and her mother only concerned herself with Sayu when it pleased her.

Sayu put a stop to her bickering emotions right then and there. She knew she felt a strange attraction to Matsuda, one that she couldn't fully explain. Until she could descipher what this phenomena meant, Sayu decided she would give Matsuda a real chance of being with her. Afterall, he had earned it by being himself and by helping her when no one else would.

She smiled at this resolution. It left her at peace... a rare occurance indeed. Perhaps everything would work out afterall.

* * *

_Thanks everyone for caring about this story. Please review and give me your thoughts!_


	5. After 2 Months

Matsuda bounded through the front door of his appartment rather cheerfully, but, thereagain, when wasn't he cheerful these days? He and Sayu had been offically dating for two months now. He had been pleasently--and akwardly--surprised when Sayu had come out of her room on her first day in his appartment with a firece blush on her face and an angered look demanding that he date her. Of course he didn't mind dating Sayu; he loved her with a great passion. However, Matsuda hadn't been sure how her mother would take the news. Afterall, she strongly disliked Matsuda. Part of that was because not only was he a cop, but he was an _idiot_ cop... the other part was the fact that he was much older than Sayu.

He was just glad when Sayu began talking with her mother again. He didn't care what they were discussing, he just knew it was a sign that Sayu was beginning to heal her wounds of grief. Matsuda hung his coat and gun holster on the coat rack and headed up the staircase. He'd had a long night at work and was thrilled to be getting home. He heard the shower running in the bathroom. Matsuda fought to keep his thoughts from a nude Sayu beyond that door, ultimately failing and smiling to none but himself. He went straight into his room to crash. The bathroom was on the other side of the wall. He could hear Sayu singing in the shower.

He supposed it would be embarassing for most people to be caught singing in the shower, but he found her voice to be quite melodic. He strained to hear the words being sung on the other side of the wall.

_"Give me strength to face the truth,  
The doubt within my soul,  
No_ _longer I can justify,  
The bloodshed in his name..._

_...Is paradise denied to me,  
'Cause I can take no more?_

_The dark has taken over me,  
Consumed my mortal soul,  
All my virtues sacrificed,  
Can heaven be so cruel?..._

_...How can blood be our salvation?  
__And justify the pain that we have caused throughout the times?  
Will I learn what's truly sacred?  
Will I redeem my soul, will truth set me free?"_

Matsuda flopped onto his bed. He knew Sayu was questioning a lot of the things she decided to do with her life. Not only that, but she has to live knowing what her brother did to all those people. He wanted to help her more than anything, but Matsuda knew the best he could do right now was just listen to her when she wanted him to. Honestly, he wasn't very good at confronting situations like these... not to mention, he didn't want Sayu to know he caught her singing in the shower.

The water stopped running, and Sayu wrapped the ruby towel around her body. She wrung her hair out over the sink. Sayu didn't have to wear her brace anymore, which made her a very happy camper. She was just cleaning herself up before Nami came over with Udeki. Sayu and Nami had become quite good friends over the past couple months. They would get together often on weekends, because Sayu was still in college and Nami had to work during the week.

Sayu had decided since she was Matsuda's girlfriend now, moving in with him wouldn't be too big of an issue. Although she knew Matsuda could pay the rent by himself, Sayu couldn't help but feel that she was responsible for it as well considering she lived there, too. However, Sayu was facing some difficulty in trying to find a job, so she paid her stay through Matsuda's stomach. Sayu never thought herself to be much of a chef, but Matsuda seemed to enjoy her cooking, which pleased her.

Sayu scurried into her room, knowing that Matsuda was probably home by this point and she didn't want to be seen hiding herself behind a towel. She was quick to put clothes on. She didn't have much, most of her outfits were from her mother's closet, or were bought for her by her mother. She chose a simple outfit, a black shirt with sleeves that cut off at her elbows, and a pair of comfy tan micro shorts. She slipped on her colorful slippers and brushed her hair out. Sayu didn't bother with the blow dryer on a Saturday, she simply let her wet hair air dry on her shoulders.

A light knock came from the door, and Sayu was quick to answer it. Nami stood on the opposite side of the door with her infant sleeping in her arms. Sayu gave her a wide grin and ushered her inside and out of the cold. It was the end of November, there was a thick layer of snow covering the ground outside the warm walls of the appartment. Sayu took Nami's coat and hung it on the rack beside Matsuda's.

"It's so freezing out there." Nami commented.

Sayu chuckled, "Well, what were you expecting? It's nearly the beginning of December."

Nami laughed tiredly, "Is it really? I've been so caught up with Udeki that I've simply lost track of time altogether."

Sayu smiled. "Here, why don't you come have a seat and warm yourself up, and I'll make us some hot cocoa. Sound good?"

"More like sounds wonderful."

Sayu made her way into the kitchen, knowing her guest could find her way to the living room without help. It took her less than three minutes to make two steaming cups of Swiss Miss hot chocolate. Nami thanked her hostess when she received the steaming mug full of marshmellows. After taking a few sips of heaven's remedy for the cold, Nami began to gossip with Sayu. Eventually, their discussion began to revolve around Nami's home life.

"So have you given any thought to marrying someone, Nami-chan?" Sayu wondered.

Nami gave the young girl a heart-warming smile. "Absolutely not. There will never be another man like the one who gave me his child. There will never be another Ichiru like mine. No man can claim a hold over my heart like he did... so I will not waste my time searching." she giggled lightly, "But what about you? How are things between you and Matsuda?"

A firece blush spread across Sayu's face. She slid a loose strand of her still wet hair out of her face bashfully. Nami gave her a wicked smile. She knew exactly what that look on Sayu's face meant. She laughed at Sayu's discomfort, "Haha, I see, I see, all right. I won't pry any further than that. I didn't realize you guys were already into that stage of your relationship."

Sayu's smile grew wide, "But Nami, I love him. I can't help myself! I wasn't trying to do anything, honest! We just sort of... lost control. He even ditched work so he could just stay with me. Man, Aizawa was so pissed... hell, we didn't even tell him what we were up to!" Sayu lost her train of thought in a fit of giggles.

Nami could hear the passion Sayu felt for Matsuda in her words. It was the same passion she had felt for Ichiru not long ago. The woman couldn't help but smile at Sayu's joy. "So, Sayu... how long ago was this wonderful..... evening?"

Sayu blinked at her, surprised by the question. Her blush returned to her face, "Er... well, a few weeks ago... I guess."

"Well, you sure move fast don't you? What, afraid you might run out of time?" Nami commented jokingly.

All the hints of romantic fanatsies and laughter disappeared from Sayu's face. Nami's question had been a rhetorical question; a joke. Between the lines of Nami's words Sayu's worst fear had been realized... losing Matsuda. He was a cop... everyday he risked his life protecting the people. Not only that, but if for whatever reason, another Death Note were to enter the world and fall into the hands of a genius like her brother, or even a Kira enthusist... Matsuda would probably be one of the first members of the Task Force to perish. He had shot the "Almighty Kira"... he had shot Light Yagami.

Sayu returned to the present when Nami asked her if she'd said something harmful. Sayu swayed her head from side to side, "No... I just can't lose him, Nami... he means too much to me. He's always putting his life in danger... and it doesn't help that he's an idiot, too. But sometimes... I wonder what I'd do if one day he just didn't come back through that door. If he left me... alone again... I don't think I'd be able to bear it! He's too precious to me! I love him too much!!"

Without any warning, Matsuda scooped her up. Sayu was surprised to find herself being held bridal style in strong arms. She looked at his tired face, he didn't look like he'd been sleeping much at all. He spun her around in a circle before kissing her tenderly on the lips. Her head was swimming with something between adrenaline... and confusion.

"Gah... augh..." Matsuda set her down gently, "That wasn't one of my brightest ideas..."

He stretched his back. Obviously he had pulled a muscule while playing the spontaneous lover. Sayu cupped his face in her hands. She stated very calmly, "You. Need. Sleep. Go to bed."

He gave her a quirky smile, "Not unless you're coming with me."

Sayu's face instantly became red. She wasn't sure if it was due to anger, embarassment, or a mixture of the two. Nami pretended like she didn't notice what was going on. She simply sat there sipping on the hot chocolate Sayu had so generously prepared. Suddenly, Udeki woke from his nap. His crying was more like the howls of a banchee. Sayu pulled him out of the swing that they kept for him when Nami visited.

"He's hungry," Nami explained.

Sayu bounced the baby lightly up and down. His crying came to a halt. Nami smiled, "My, my, Sayu, you're a natural. I can never get him to do that for me."

Sayu laughed, "Well, if he's hungry he'd better be nice to his mommy. Because, frankly, I don't think I'd be able to help him in that department."

The three friends laughed. "Here, I'll take him. I only live a few doors down."

"All right. Come back soon though, okay?" Sayu told her, handing over the boy.

Nami smiled, zipping her coat up her more slender form, and carrying her baby in her arms. "Of course."

Sayu stood at the door, and watched Nami retreat down to the first floor of the building. Ever since the frost began appearing, Sayu worried about Nami and Udeki going down those stairs. She always fretted about invisible ice; fearful that she would slip and fall. Luckily, today was not the day her fears became reality. Sayu felt relieved when Nami made it to the bottom of the staircase. She closed the door. It really was cold outside.

Matsuda wrapped her in his arms. He rested his head at the nape of her neck. She lured him into his own bedroom. They rolled into the bed. "I'll stay here until you fall asleep."

He ran his fingers through her hair damp silky hair, "Why don't you just stay here forever?"

She smiled and kissed his forehead, "Because if I did that, then you'd _never_ get any sleep."

He laughed and the bed creaked as he pulled her onto his chest. "Who needs sleep when I have you?"

* * *

_Took awhile, I hope it was worth the wait. Pease review! :D_

_PS- The lyrics used in this are from the song Truth Beneath The Rose by Within Temptation... it's a KICK ASS song!! Totally check into it!! ;)_


	6. Complications

Sayu woke to her mother's soothing voice, and gentle touch. Sayu blinked her eyes open. Shakily she sat up in the bed. She knew something wasn't right. Why couldn't she remember anything, though? The last thing Sayu remembered was falling asleep in Matsuda's embrace. Matsuda...

"Mom, where's Touta?!!"

Her mother's eyes were surprised for a moment before she narrowed them. Something told Sayu by the way her mother looked at her that she should have already known the answer to that question.

"You don't remember?"

"Well, if I did I wouldn't be asking! Did something bad happen to him?!" Sayu was beginning to panic, and her stomach was giving her the sudden urge to wretch across the floor.

Her mother sighed. She obviously didn't want Sayu to get worked up over this. Sachiko rested a hand on her daughter's shoulder and gently lowered her back onto the pillow. "I don't know the full story... I suppose you fell down a flight of stairs or something."

"Flight... of stairs?" Sayu was searching the depths of her mind for something that would trigger the memory of falling down stairs... but she couldn't remember anything.

"Yes..." The way Sayu's mother was speaking to her almost sounded as if there was a missing piece of information... something Sachiko didn't want to tell her.

"What about Tou-" her sentence was interrupted by Nami, who burst through the door and hugged Sayu tightly, "Sayu!! You're all right!! I was really worried about you! How many fingers am I holding up?!"

Sayu laughed, "Three."

Sayu took note that she was still in the bedroom. Which made her even more curious as to what happend to her. She reached up and touched her forehead. Her fingers were met by medical gauze.

Sachiko began to shoo Nami from the room, but Nami was adamant on staying with Sayu now that she was awake. "Sayu that was a nasty fall you took... are you sure you're okay?"

Sayu gingerly moved her head from side to side, "I don't know... I can't remember anything."

"Anything?!"

"Well..." Sayu lied, so she could spare her mother's ears from things she'd probably rather not hear, "Anything since you left."

Nami seemed to catch on that Sayu was only speaking what her mother could bear. "Hmm... I see. The doctors said that you might suffer from some short-term memory loss. I suppose I should send someone in to change your bandages." Nami turned to Sachiko, "Mrs. Yagami, will you please get Dr. Utashima in here? Sayu's bandages need changed."

"Anything else... _nurse_," Sachiko's words were spoken to Nami with a coat of venom.

The devious Nami smiled with mock glee, "Oh yes! Now that you mention it, send Matsuda in, too. Thank you!"

Nami had all ready picked up on the fact that Sayu's mother wasn't fond of the cop. In fact, that's exactly why Nami had asked for him to come in.

"Touta?!" Sayu asked louder than she'd wanted to, straining to sit upright.

Nami shoved her back onto the pillow. She wasn't going to put up with Sayu's lack of restraint when it came to Matsuda. Nami knew Sayu's first priority needed to be healing her head injury. But she also knew that Sayu had no recollection of the events that led up to receiving the injury she now had. Sayu's face lit up when Matsuda came through the bedroom door.

"Sayu!" He knelt beside her bed.

She ran her fingers through his raven hair. Sayu wanted to make sure she wasn't just imagining things. "How bad does your head hurt?" He asked her urgently.

She smiled up at him, "It's not so bad now that you're here."

Nami poked him in the side. Matsuda squirmed away from her touch while making some interesting noises. Nami and Sayu laughed. Apparently his sides were extremely ticklish. "Feeling squemish are we?" Nami asked him through her fit of laughter.

When he pouted she decided to tease him no further. Nami regained her composer enough to continue her original thought, "Matsuda, you should probably fill Sayu in. She doesn't remember anything that happened."

He looked incredulously at the girl laying in his bed with a wound bleeding through several layers of bandages. "You really can't remember anything?"

"The last thing I remember is falling asleep against you." Sayu confessed.

Nami chuckled, "So _that's_ what you didn't want your mother knowing. Heh, I suppose it makes sense... considering she doesn't _quite_ know about you and Matsuda yet."

Matsuda exhaled a large breath and ran his own fingers through his messy hair. "Well... I woke up and it was about time for me to get to work again.... I didn't mean to wake you, but apparently I did. You told me you were feeling pretty lousy and you just wanted me to stay. I wanted to stay... really I did, but Aizawa is beginning to poke his nose where I don't want it, so I couldn't stay. I was at the bottom of the steps when you came running out of the appartment. I tried to warn you about the ice on the stairs... but you ran down them and... the next thing I know you slipped and fell..."

He didn't seem to want to go into details any further than that. Nami, though wasn't afraid of the graphic scenes. After what she'd seen happen to Ichiru, Sayu wasn't surprised that gore didn't bother Nami. Her green eyes were brimming with compassion, "I heard this loud crash from outside my appartment. It woke up Udeki, but I played some music for him and he went right back to sleep. I decided to go find out what happened... the snow was red from blood, and Matsuda was covered in the same crimson that was flowing from your head. At first I thought something happened to him, but I knew something was wrong when you weren't moving. Matsuda had me call the medics. He was too busy trying to staunch your bleeding to go get help."

Nami looked over at Matsuda. She gave him a curious look asking if he was going to continue the story or not. He nodded, "You had a concussion. The doctors didn't want to take you back to the hospital... they said you wouldn't live that long. Nami almost offered to let us treat you at her place, but we didn't want to wake Udeki. So they brought you back here. I called Aizawa and told him about your fall. He's waiting in the living room and taking care of Udeki for the timebeing. The doctors are on stand by in the parking lot in their ambulance. We called your mom and told her, too."

Nami snickered. Something about Sayu's mother obviously struck her as funny. "Your mother really chewed this guy out for saving your _life_."

Sayu blinked, "What?"

Matsuda sighed, "Your mother wasn't exactly thrilled to see me."

"Oh please..." Nami rolled her eyes, "Sayu, your mother was being a complete _witch_! She literally ripped Matsuda apart! He only saved your life and she was all like 'This is all your fault! My daughter is on her death bed now because you didn't care enough to tell her to watch her step!' Sayu it was awful; the things your mother told him! Things like he never cared, and wasn't welcome, and how he wasn't any good, and-"

"Nami..." The woman silenced at the sound of Matsuda's voice, "Enough. Sayu doesn't need to hear those things..."

Sayu was about to disagree, when the doctor and her mother entered the room. Utashima smiled down at her, "Hello, Miss. Yagami. I thought I'd seen the last of you for awhile."

He turned to face the others, "Please leave the room now. Only family is welcome at this time."

Matsuda and Nami left the room as Utashima asked. "Now, let's fix those bandages of yours. Tell me what happened. Do you remember?"

Sayu sat up for him, "Er... no. My friends were telling me what happened. It's amazing I lived."

"Indeed. Although, you're past the crisis point now, I'll ask that you please take it easy. Mr. Matsuda told me you weren't feeling well before the accident, I can only imagine how you must feel now."

"Has your head ever been shoved into a blender after being beaten with a frying pan?"

"Er... no."

"Then you can't possibly imagine how I'm feeling right now."

He chuckled nervously, "I suppose not."

**xXx**

The weeks passed slowly for Sayu. Utashima called mid-December to let Sayu know it was fine for her to roam freely around her appartment without her bandages. He cautioned her, however, that if she was going out somewhere she should cover up her injury. This news over-joyed Sayu. She was tired of wearing bandages all the time. Matsuda was simply relieved that Sayu was going to recover from this incident.

Sachiko opposed the idea of Sayu living with Matsuda now more than ever. Mainly because of the accident that occured due to the iced staircase. She was trying to persuade Sayu to move back in with her. When Sayu thought of her childhood home, the only people she could think of were her father and brother... both of whom were dead now. The home her mother resides in holds nothing more than haunting memories of the past. Memories that Sayu would rather forget than wallow in. For her sanity's sake, she insisted that she continue living with Matsuda.

When she told it to her mother that way, Sachiko decided that for the current time it might be better for Sayu to stay away from her old home. She seemed to be doing better every day, and Sachiko would hate to ruin that by forcing Sayu to reopen her wounds of grief.

Matsuda decided to give Sayu a break from cooking tonight. She sat at the kitchen table watching her lover cook dinner. Suddenly, Matsuda's cell phone rang from the living room. "Uh... Sayu, can you please answer that?"

"Sure."

She stood from her seat in the kitchen and picked his cell phone up off the coffee table. The called ID said 'Mom and Dad'. Sayu bit her lip. She wondered if she should really be answering a call from Matsuda's parents. She answered anyway.

"Er.. hello?"

There was a couple bickering about calling the wrong number on the other end. Then the phone hung up. Sayu blinked a few times before closing the phone. She took the cell with her back into the kitchen.

"Well who was it? Utashima?"

"No... it was your parents."

He made a strange face as she said this. "Really?"

"Yeah. They hung up as soon as they heard me talk." Sayu told him informatively.

He laughed, "They just don't know you yet... but they will."

Sayu blushed. The phone rang again. It was Matsuda's parents. "Should I answer?"

"Yeah, let them know I'll talk in a minute."

"Okay...." She flipped the phone open, "Hello? Er... Matsuda residence."

This time it was just a man's voice on the opposite end. "Touta, my boy? Is that you? You sound so..." he seemed to be searching for the right word, "feminine."

Say laughed. Matsuda perked a brow in her direction. She covered the mouth piece so his father couldn't hear her, "He said you sound feminine, heehee."

Matsuda chuckled as Sayu heard the older woman take the phone. "Hello? Baby, are you there? I've been so worried about you lately. Now tell me, what's this about your father calling you feminine?"

"Well, I'm n-"

"Goodness me! I can't believe this is my poor boy I'm speaking with... Touta is there something you want to tell us?! Are you _gay_?!!!"

She laughed again. His parents were hysterical. Sayu had forgotten what real parents were since her father's death. Her mother was around more now, but she wasn't the same woman as she had been while Soichiro was alive... or even Light. Sayu was still laughing slightly. It was only funny because she knew Matsuda was far from being gay, Sayu being a first-hand witness to this.

She coughed, regaining her composure, "My name is Sayu Yagami. Touta is a bit preoccupied right now. He should be available to speak in a few minutes if you'd like to wait."

The couple were talking with one another on the other end. The male voice came back for a second time. "My wife says your name is Sayu?"

"Yes."

"Sayu, then... why is Touta unable to speak with his own parents? As his father I have the right to know, and I demand you tell me!"

Sayu was beginning to get annoyed with the senile couple on the other end. "He's making dinner."

Matsuda saved her from any further embarassment and came over to take th cell from her. "Hey."

Sayu didn't know what was being said on the other line, but she knew what Matsuda's responses were. She wasn't really sure what it all meant though. Sayu decided it would probably be best if she just waited for him to hang up. She was patient as he spoke with his mother and father on the opposite end. He held the phone out to her, "They want to talk with you."

"Me?" She took the phone from Matsuda and held it to her ear as he went to finish his cooking, "Hello?"

"Sayu-dear, we're coming to visit you on Christmas!" The old woman sounded quite excited, "I can't wait to meet you in person! You do have a very lovely voice."

"Oh, uh... thank you?"

The man continued. "Don't worry about cleaning Touta's appartment. We know what a pack rat he is. Just because his parents are visiting doesn't mean the appartment has to be spick-and-span. Okay?"

Sayu glanced around at the clean appartment. She wondered where the hell his parents had ever gotten the idea that he was a pack rat. His appartment was absolutely spotless. "Sure."

The woman took back the phone. "We know you're carrying our grandchild, so don't hurt yourself with cleaning! We'll see you next week! Toodles!"

The phone clicked off. "_NANDA_??!!" Sayu screamed.

Matsuda abandoned his cooking and was at her side in an instant. He sounded more alarmed than angry. "Sayu?! What is it?! What's the matter?! What did they say to you?!"

"You told them I was pregnant??!!"

"What?! No!"

Sayu didn't believe him. "Tch. Then tell me, Smart-Ass, how the hell they got the idea that I was carrying their _grandchild_?!! Hmm?!!"

His face looked crestfallen. She didn't like swearing at him, but the words just sort of fell from her mouth. Sayu immediately wished she could take them back. Her eyes widened when he enveloped her in his arms.

"They're just... wishful thinkers is all. Don't take it to heart. We'll set them straight when they visit." He kissed her neck.

Sayu felt like she'd somehow insulted him. "Touta... I-"

She didn't know what to say. She wanted to tell him that his kids were the only ones she would ever even consider having, but she wondered if that would be too forward for her to say.

He kissed her tenderly on the lips. Sayu held him close. It was just the two of them... just for this moment. "Touta... you..." Sayu wasn't sure where this conversation was going, "don't want any children?"

Matsuda looked deep into her beautiful brown orbs. "And you do?"

"Only yours." She said, leaning her head on his chest.

Sayu could hear his heart beating wildly against her ear. Somehow the sound comforted her. She felt safe here in his arms, safer than she'd ever felt before. She didn't really care about kids at this point, but she knew if they didn't talk about this now that the discussion would only come up again in the future.

He sighed. "Sayu... it's not that I don't want kids... because really, I'd let you have as many of my kids as you wanted," Matsuda chuckled before his tone became serious again, "but, I..."

His sentence trailed off. Sayu peered up into his sincere eyes. Somehow, she thought they were looking back at her with a certain appologetic gaze. "You what? Are you afraid?" She managed to ask.

"No... it's not that..."

Sayu saw tears falling from his eyes. The only time Sayu had ever seen Matsuda cry was at her father's funeral. She didn't understand why he was so upset about this. He rested his face on her shoulder, tears soaking her light blue t-shirt. His body shook from frustration, and Sayu didn't know what she could do for him at this point. She hated seeing Matsuda with so much hurt. What was it about them that they just couldn't be a normal couple? Why did there always have to be some sort of complication?

She hugged him tightly and then forced him to look her in the eyes. She wiped the tears from his face and gave him a light smile. "It's okay... we can get through this, I promise."

"No... Sayu, it's not okay." He grabbed her hands and held them in his own, "I want to be able to give you everything you ask for, but you've only ever asked me for one thing and it's the one thing I can never give you...... children."

"What?"

He seemed to be struggling with the words, "I... can't have children. You'll never get pregnant."

Sayu had always imagined herself as a mother someday, but if Matsuda couldn't have children, then she would never get to be a mother. At that moment, Sayu decided which was more important to her. She didn't care if she would never get to experience motherhood for herself. Sayu knew that the kind of love and adoration that she and Matsuda had for each other only came every blue moon. He was the only man she could love the way she did. Sayu refused to bare anyone else's children. If Matsuda couldn't have any, then neither could she. Sayu's mind was made up.

She kissed him passionately on his lips. "I don't need children to be happy when I have you."

"I just wish there was a way-" Sayu silenced him with another kiss.

She giggled, "Don't waste your wishes on something so irrelevant."

He smiled at her. He suddenly remembered the food on the stove. Matsuda opened the oven to get it out, burning his fingers because he forgot to use an oven mitt. Sayu giggeld, taking dinner out of the oven as Matsuda ran his fingers under cold water. Despite all the conflicts that occured in her life, Sayu knew she had to be the happiest woman alive. Besides, who needed children when she had an idiot like Matsuda to take care of?

* * *

_I made it long for you guys! I hope you appreciate it! Please leave me your reviews! :D_


	7. December 25th

"Wake up! Wake up! It's Christmas!!!" a woman cheered while jumping on Sayu's bed.

Sayu groaned, "No... ten more minutes. Christmas can wait..."

The woman laughed. Sayu knew at that moment who was jumping on her bed. Nami was the only woman Sayu knew with such a melodic laughter... almost like the chiming of bells. Sayu groaned again now that she recognized the voice of her sleep's interruptor. She rolled over on her stomach and covered her head with her pillow.

Nami laughed again, ripping the warm comforter off of Sayu, exposing her to the cold air. "Haha, nice jammies."

Sayu chucked the pillow at Nami's head before tackling her. The two women rolled off the edge of the bed. Matsuda ran to see what was going on. He laughed when he saw Nami sitting on Sayu on the floor.

"Oh good, you're awake!" He announced.

"Can't I go back to bed?" Sayu complained.

Nami stuck her tongue out at Sayu, "You're so lame! This doesn't have anything to do with meeting the in-laws does it?"

Sayu's head shot up at the mention of Matsuda's parents. "Oh, shit! They aren't here yet, are they?!!"

Matsuda looked at his watch. "No... but they'll be here any minute now."

"What?!!" Sayu pushed Nami off of her and quickly rose to her feet.

Nami was over at their house late the previous night helping Sayu make cookies. She had chosen to spend the night at their appartment. Sayu had taken up residence in what _used_ to just be Matsuda's room, so Nami had the other room all to herself... unless you count Udeki. Nami was delighted that they offered her the opportunity to spend the night; she simply loved spending her time with them, and when she was so cheery she was kind of hard to turn away.

Nami skipped into the kitchen. Sayu wondered how Udeki was going to live with a mother like Nami. She pointed a finger accusingly at the couple. "Hey! Someone ate the head off my angel... Okay which one of you two ate my COOKIE!!! And don't try to blame it on my son because he can't eat solid food yet!"

Sayu laughed and playfully poked Matsuda's stomach. "Packing on a few pounds, are we? You better be careful what you eat! All that sugar is bad for a man your age!!"

"Hey! I am not that old!"

Matsuda had just had his Thirty-third birthday on the fourteenth. Sayu laughed again, "Sure, sure... whatever you say."

Udeki began crying, and Sayu went to go retrieve him. Matsuda followed her, and Nami decided to munch on cookies for breakfast before heading back to her own appartment. Sayu picked Udeki up out of his swing and smiled at him. He was immediately silenced. Matsuda came from behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his head on her shoulder. They both looked at the content baby in Sayu's arms. Matsuda wondered idly if she was thinking the same thing he was.

"Sayu..."

"Hm?" She asked still smiling down at Udeki.

Matsuda sighed, "You can't tell my parents that I can't have kids."

She abruptly spun around, "What? Why?"

"Because I never told them." He explained with a shrug.

She gave him the 'Oh you've got to be kidding me' stare. At the same time she felt shamed to have nearly forgotten that little detail. No kids. What was her mother going to say? Sachiko had always wanted grandkids... and with Light gone that left her to fill the job. Sayu knew that wasn't going to please her own mother in the slightest. Not to mention all Sayu really wanted to concentrate on right now was appealing to the better side of her boyfriend's parents.

"All right, I won't tell them... only because _you_ should be the one who tells them that." She lightly bounced the baby in her arms, "Anyway... er how do I look?"

He smiled with a somewhat sad look in his eyes, "Like a wonderful mother."

She rolled her eyes, "That's not what I meant, and you know it. I meant my hair... my clothes... Oh no! Clothes! I gotta change! I-"

He laughed, cutting her panic attack short. "You look fine, and my parents will love you."

They heard the sound of the front door opening, and Nami greeting the new guests. Matsuda decided to go investigate. He saw his parents fawning all over Nami.

"Touta, she's gorgeous!! Absolutely enchanting!!" His mother cooed.

"Yes, yes! You're one lucky guy!" His father added.

Nami growled, all ready annoyed with the old folks, "Hey, hey! Paws off the merchandise! Man... senile much?!"

Matsuda shook his head, "Mom, Dad... that's not Sayu."

A woman holding a baby came out from behind the corner of a hallway. She was wearing Christmasy pajamas; patchworked cami and shorts. Her moussey hair was up in a messy ponytail, and her eyes were a cool brown. She smiled down at the new arrivals.

"Merry Christmas!" Sayu greeted them with a smile.

They quickly moved to the baby in Sayu's arms, cooing and babbling nonsense at poor Udeki. They told Sayu things like 'Congrats' and 'Welcome to Motherhood'... things Sayu would never hear for real.

"Why he looks just like his mommy!" the old woman exclaimed.

Mr. Matsuda raised a thick brow. "Say... if this is Sayu... then who's the other girl?"

Matsuda's mother cupped her boy's face in her hands. "My boy is giving shelter to a poor homeless woman out of the kindness of his heart! How generous!!!"

Sayu could tell that Nami was about to blow a fuse. She was just waiting for the explosion. Nami pushed them aside and Sayu placed Udeki in her arms.

"I am _not_ homeless! I live downstairs! And _my_ son looks just like his _daddy_! Now, if you don't mind I'm taking some of these," Nami picked a handful of cookies off the cookie plate, "and I'm going back to my appartment! I'll see you guys later."

Sayu waved goodbye as Nami shut the front door. She sighed and flopped onto the couch. She didn't feel this meeting was going well at all. Though, despite Nami's exit, the elderly couple were still optimistic. They were a little too positive for Sayu's liking, and she couldn't help but wonder how Matsuda was able to survive with them.

"You didn't have to clean this place up all by yourself on our account, Sayu." The old man told her.

"Oh, well... I-"

Mrs. Matsuda sat down beside her. She gave Sayu a warm smile, "I'm sorry about all the confusion. In fact, I bet my husband sixty dollars that you were only in your first trimester... he thought you were in your second. We were surprised when we saw you holding that baby in your arms, but... it appears I won the bet!"

Mr. Matsuda grumbled, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet. Matsuda sighed, "Mom, Dad, listen. Sayu isn't pregnant at all."

"What?" His mother asked surprised, "I thought the only reason any _sensible_ girl would live with _you_ is if she was pregnant."

"What the _hell_ are you waiting for?!!" His father complained, "Daggone it, Touta. You're about as useless as scotch tape!"

Mrs. Matsuda had her hair in a bun with chopsticks poking out the sides. Her hair was a very attractive red color, which had surprised Sayu because Matsuda had raven colored locks. She supposed he got that gene from his father... before his hair went grey. Sayu noticed his mother had beautiful blue eyes hidden behind gold rimmed glasses, and his father's eyes were a dark brown. Sayu guessed that Matsuda was an exact image of his father in his youth. Now the old man was using a cane to get around.

"You know Hana's twin boys had their fourth birthday last week... oh! And she just had her sixth daughter on Sunday. And Karin has four kids... Touta both of your older sisters had children by the time they reached your age. You should think about settling down... stop all this... foolish police nonsense!" His mother told him.

"But, Mom, I like being in the police force, it-" Matsuda attempted to argue, however, his father intervened, "Look son, I wanted you to carry on the family name. The Matsuda blood runs thick in your veins, and I want you to pass that onto the next generation, ya hear?"

Sayu was fed up with listening to them preech about their ever-growing family while hers was dwindling. She had been polite in not trying to offend Matsuda's parents, but sometimes things slip out. Now would be one of those times.

"I don't mean to be rude but... actually... yes. Yes, I do mean to be rude. This is absolutely ridiculous! You all ready have how many grandkids? Twelve? Isn't that enough for you?! You are such a greedy child-grubbing couple! I would have thought more from the people who raised the love of my life!! There were only two kids in my family, and guess what? My brother is dead! Not to mention my father! My mother would probably give her left arm and half her soul to see she get _one_ grandkid. And then there's the lucky people like you who've got it so good with _twelve_ and you _still_ aren't satisfied!! I'm sorry... but... I can't do this!" Sayu stood from her seat, grabbed her coat off the rack and ran outside into the blustery winter snow.

Matsuda's parents were appalled, but for the first time they were completely silent. Matsuda didn't know if he should run after her or if he should stay and chew out his parents. He figured Sayu probably went to Nami's place.

"Yoru, I really liked that girl..." Matsuda's mom sniffled.

His father sighed, "Yeah... not many girls like that out there. Touta... aren't you going to go after her?"

Matsuda was glaring at his parents, "She was only trying to make a good impression on you guys, and you have to bring up this talk about grandkids and stuff! Frankly, I'm sick and tired of hearing it! You didn't even ask her about _her_ family or how _she_ was doing! Sayu's had it real rough lately... I mean... hell, she's still healing from a _head injury_ she got a few weeks ago!!"

"Oh my that's awful! Is she all right?" His mother asked with concern brimming in her eyes.

"You're asking the wrong person. Everytime I ask she says she's 'fine' or 'doing better'... but I know she only says things like that so I don't worry. It doesn't help... I worry about her all the time. Even now when she's left because she didn't want to get caught up in my parents' sick and twisted fantasies... you guys sure know how to ruin a perfectly good Christmas."

Yoru choked back a sob, "Uhm... would you rather us go now... so you can chase after her?"

Matsuda ran his fingers through his hair. He was met with a dilemma, "No, I don't want you leaving... but I'm going to go find her, and when I do... I'm going to beg for her forgiveness."

He wrenched his coat from the rack and exited the appartment. Sayu had been traumatized by the staircase, refusing to even step down it during the frosty weather. She was sitting in the snow that covered the top stair. Matsuda sat beside her. She was shivering violently. He pulled her close to his warm body. She shouldn't have ran outside in those pajamas of hers.

"Sayu, I'm so sorry... I can't even tell you how sorry I am."

All Sayu really wanted to do now was go crawl under a rock and stay there until the end of winter. She wasn't upset with Matsuda, but his parents were tap-dancing on her last nerve. She was incredibly angry with herself because she had exploded on his parents, and yet here he was appologizing to her for something that had nothing to do with him. Which infuriated her even more.

"You can't choose your parents... none of this is your fault, Touta." Sayu managed to tell him through her chattering teeth.

"It's too cold out here for you... let's go back inside."

Sayu nodded. When they walked in through the door Matsuda's mother was right there to greet her with a hug. Yoru laughed, "Haha, easy there, Tachi. Let the girl at least take off her coat before you smother her."

There were tears falling from the old woman's face, "Oh, Sayu... can you ever forgive us?"

Sayu let all her anger drain away. How could she be angry with them when they regretted their actions? "It's all right. I forgive you guys... let's just have a nice Christmas now, okay?" Sayu gave them her warmest smile.

Sayu danced over to the boxes beneath their colorful Christmas tree. She passed out the presents to their respectful owners. When they were all finished the entire living room was covered in wrapping paper.

"So how is my son treating you?" Tachi inquirred, "Good? I hope."

Sayu glanced over at Matsuda who was simply beaming with delight at the prospect of_ actual_ conversation. Sayu smiled. "He's very kind to me... Touta's saved my life countless times."

"Is that so?" Yoru asked with a brow raised.

She laughed. The expression was so Matsuda it was funny. Christmas only comes once a year... best to enjoy it while it lasts.

**xXx**

Sayu knocked thrice on her mother's door with the brass knocker. She couldn't remember the last time she'd stood on this porch... it seemed so long ago. Sayu hadn't told her mother that she was going to be spending dinner with her, but Sayu felt that her mom needed some company on Christmas.

Matsuda's parents had left earlier in the afternoon. They had spent lunch with Matsuda and Sayu before leaving. As the sun began to set over the horizon Matsuda got ready for work. "What? You can't seriously have work... on Christmas!" Sayu argued.

He chuckled, "Sayu, crime doesn't rest... not even on the holidays."

"But you don't normally leave until nine!"

"Ide and Aizawa have the night off. They're spending some quality time with their families--" Sayu cut him off, "Well, why can't you spend some "quality time" with me?"

Matsuda laughed heartily, "Boy, if that doesn't sound tempting, I don't know what does! But to them I'm still a bachelor, remember? I thought we agreed that the force shouldn't know about us."

"We did... but--" Sayu couldn't even come up with a rebuttle.

"I only have to go in early because so many of the guys are taking time off... but then I also get to come home early." He smiled and kissed her tenderly on the lips, "Don't worry, I'll be home before dawn."

She reached for her coat as he slid his on. He raised a brow at her. "I'm sure as hell not staying here by myself on Christmas!" Sayu told him, flinging her coat onto her back.

"And might I ask where you'll be?"

She smiled, "At my mother's house. No one should be alone on Christmas."

Now she was on the porch in the freezing snow waiting impatiently for the door to open. Sayu heard her mother's voice as the door creaked open, "If you damn carolers know what's good for you, you'll--Oh! Sayu!"

Sayu could see the joy on her mother's face. Sachiko hugged her daughter tightly. Christmas wouldn't be the same for them this year. Her father used to decorate the tree and the yard, and Light would play Christmas songs on their piano. Every year Sayu remembered the smell of ham in the oven as her mother prepared a feast for their family. she, of course, would be stuck mailing all the Christmas cards to their friends and relatives. Nothing was like that now. There were no lights, no tree, no music, the smell of the promising dinner Sayu had remembered didn't exist, and now she even missed the cramp her wrist used to suffer from writing so many cards.

"Well, come inside out of the cold. How's your head? I see you aren't wearing those bandages anymore." Sachiko took Sayu's coat and hung it on a hanger before stashing it into a closet.

"Oh, uhm, to tell you the truth it still hurts like hell, but really I'm doing much better. A God awful migrain every now and then, but better nonetheless." Sayu told her mother truthfully.

Her mother scowled, "I am never going to forgive that man for doing this to you."

"Mom, it wasn't his fault. Can we please just drop this conversation?" Sayu didn't want to have to deal with such cruel feelings on a holiday that's supposed to be filled with love and joy.

She glanced around the living room. Pictures Sayu remembered were missing. Her favorite one of Matsuda, Soichiro, and Light was removed from the television set and replaced with one of Sayu's most disgraceful orchestra photos. Even all of Light's school pictures were removed from the walls. None of their family photos were anywhere to be seen either. It was almost as if her mother was trying to cut them out of her life entirely.

"I'm sorry, Sweetie. Hm? What's this box for?" She asked taking notice of the box in Sayu's hands.

It had been the only remaining present under the Christmas tree at the appartment. It looked so lonely and forgotten. Sayu smiled and held it out for her mother to take. "Merry Christmas, Mom!"

"For me?" She took the gift into her hands.

"You don't have to open it now. We can open it after dinner."

"Dinner? Oh, Sayu... I didn't make a Christmas dinner this year. I didn't know I was going to have company."

Sayu laughed. "That's okay, Oka-san." She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number, "Hello? Yes, I'd like to place an order, please. Delivery. Yagami. Y-a-g-a-m-i. 3829 Koh, K-o-h, Blvd. Okay, I need one medium supreme pizza. No olives. One order of cheese sticks with sauce. And one two liter of soda. Seirra Mist...... Cool! Thank you so much. Buh-bye."

Her mother laughed. Sayu was so unpredictable. "Christmas _pizza_?"

"Yep! We don't need anything fancy-schmancy. So long as we're together. That's all that matters." Sayu added in her head, _now more than ever._

Sachiko sighed, "Oh, I know... but... it's just not the same with only the two of us."

Sayu really wanted to make this work out all right. Being in this haunted house was bad enough, but she didn't want memories of her father and brother brought up. It was just too painful for her. She was done mourning over something she couldn't change.

"Well... it's a bit late in the season for a tree and lights, hehe, and dinner will be here within fourty-five minutes... how about some music?" Sayu suggested.

Her mother scoffed, "Tch. You don't know how to play the piano."

"Gee, thanks Mom... Have a little more faith, will you? I took viola lessons all through high school. Just give me a few minutes, okay?" Sayu headed up the staircase to her bedroom.

None of Light's tennis pictures were hanging in the stairwell any longer, they were replaced with photos of her softball years... years Sayu didn't particularly enjoy. She stopped for a moment at Light's old bedroom at the top of the stairs. The pencil was still where Sayu had found it lodged between the door's hinges, and the slip of paper Light kept at the foot of his door was still there. Sayu noticed his door knob was horizontal. She reached out and lowered it at the angle Light always kept it at and smiled. She wanted to enter the room, but she wantd one place her mother could never change or replace. Light's room was that place.

Sayu turned down the hallway to her own old room. She felt childish as she entered. Had she really been so happy at one point in her life? There were girly things everywhere, and in every one of her pictures she was laughing or smiling. Medals and awards adorned her walls, along with several stuffed animals. It felt good to be back in her old room, but she also knew these things were frail. All her childhood memories were frail, mostly because Light was so close to her growing up.

She began digging through the miscellaneous objects that occupied her closet. Eventually, Sayu found her viola case on the bottom of the many dishevled piles. She placed it carefully on her bed, and fished the music out from under her mattress. She found a few pieces that seemed to fit in with the Christmas spirit. sayu opened the case to find her polished viola waiting for its master to play it once more. The wood was very dark, almost like dark chocolate. She tuned it before hurrying down the staircase.

She put her music on the piano, and sat on the bench. She was able to play her first piece with ease. Her mother clapped at the end. Sayu was pleased that her mother found her skills astonishing because frankly, Sayu found herself to be a bit rusty. She was able to get through several pieces before the pizza man showed up at the door. She paid him his money, and gave him a nice tip for coming out during the holiday.

"Oh..." Sayu's face was crestfallen, "they forgot the sauce... man..."

Her mother chuckled, "You know, I haven't heard you play that instrument since your junior year of high school."

"Yeah, well... I might pick it up again. I'd have to get a new one first though... that one's only a fifteen inch... I'll probably need a sixteen inch if I'm going to continue playing." Sayu admitted.

"Hm... Well your birthday is next month... perhaps I should invest in getting you a new one if you like it so much."

Sayu's head moved from-side-to-side, "No, Mom... I think I'll get it on my own. I'm really tired of the whole "dark" look... I might try to find a white one. Wouldn't that be pretty?"

"If you say so."

"Okay... I'm tired of waiting... open you're present!" Sayu finally said, while her mother was chewing her first bite of pizza.

Sachiko ripped the wrapping off of her gift. When she removed the lid on the department store box she was expecting to find clothes. Instead the contents consisted of the picture of them all at the beach. Everyone was in it. Sachiko, Soichiro, Light, Sayu, and even Matsuda in the corner. Sayu had bought a new golden frame for it, since the old one wasn't as nice. Sayu had wanted to give her mother something personal. The beach picture had been taken with Matsuda's camera, and he only had one copy of it. Sayu had asked him if she could give it to her mother. He thought it was a thoughtful idea.

Sachiko had no words for the picture she was looking at. Sayu explained, "That's one of my favorite pictures. You're holding the one and only copy of it. I wanted you to have it."

Sachiko's heart became heavy. She had removed everything that would possibly remind her of her son and husband from her life. Tears fell from her face. Sayu instantly regretted giving her mother the picture. "Mom? What's wrong?!"

"Sayu... I love it.... this is the most precious Christmas present I've ever received. Our lives just aren't this simple anymore..."

As Sayu listened to her mother, she felt her own eyes welling with tears. Despite how hard she fought to keep them from escaping, they fell down her face. She was glad that her mother liked the gift, but that picture held such happy memories that they would never get another opportunity to have. It was full of emotional attachment to both women.

Sayu attempted to eat her pizza again, but suddenly the table seemed too big. It was missing a few people. It was missing Soichiro and Light. She lost her appetite. Sayu rested her head on the table. What's Christmas when half of your family isn't present because they're dead?

* * *

_Well, I'll probably post one or two more chapters. I'm just like... cranking out the chapters on this story, lol XD. I suppose that's a good thing for you all, but it really starts taking a toll on me after awhile. _

_Uhm, this chapter really has an emotional attachment to me. I lost my grandmother in September. We were really close, and I miss her something awful. I cried pretty much throughout the whole last section, just because I can really relate to Sayu and Mrs. Yagami. When I began this story I didn't know what losing someone was like... but now I do, and it's really difficult. Christmas is going to be emotional for me this year... I can all ready tell. T.T_

_Er--sniffle--my petty life aside, I wrote this chapter to be pretty long for you guys. I think it's one of my longest chapters so far, so I hope you enjoy it!! Please leave me a review! It's much appreciated!!_


	8. New Year Twist

The holiday passed by slowly for Sayu, and soon enough the year was coming to a close. The horrible year that she would never forget was finally coming to an end. Sayu only prayed that she'd be able to stop reliving the terrible nightmare of her life and actually begin living again. She just didn't know how that could be done.

There was much hype in the groccery store over the new year that was rapidly approaching. Sayu smiled. At the moment she had other things to worry about. Things like feeding Matsuda when he woke up. The poor man was having to work extra hard lately just to keep their relationship a damned secret. Frankly, Sayu knew it was wearing him out; she was considering just telling everyone at his workplace... that included Aizawa. Sayu shuddered thinking of all the profanities he would probably throw out... not at her... but at Matsuda. Sayu knew Aizawa was always careful with the things he said while in her presence... but she also knew he had a tendancy to unleash his full-fledged wrath on Matsuda.

"Hey!!" someone called from behind her.

Sayu spun around to find a smiling face, honeybrown hair and hazel eyes. She wished that woman didn't look so much like her brother. "Oh, uh... hiya, Saki. Er... happy new year."

Saki laughed, "Sayu, I haven't seen you in a long time... what's going on? Oh wait! Guess what I heard about Minako-chan!!! Oh, you're gonna_ love_ this!"

Houhei Saki... the college chatter-box and queen of gossip. She was incredibly friendly and easy to talk with. Sayu supposed that was why she was good at her gossiping job. Other than that, Sayu and Saki had been friends since high school and even went to the same college. Whereas Sayu just wanted to stay close to home, Saki actually had a reason for attending the community college... "Mommy!!!"

Saki turned to see her three-year-old giggling at the candybars in the check-out line. "Oh! No, no, Sweetie... you can't have those. Sorry, Sayu, just gimme a minute here."

She grabbed her daughter by the hand and led her over to Sayu. Saki picked up her girl. "Sayu, you remember Reikan, right?"

Sayu nodded. She was sure everyone who attended their high school had known about Saki's girl. Saki had gotten pregnant at the beginning of her Junior year with Houhei Itaku's child. It had surprised everyone since Saki didn't seem like that kind of girl. She had been one of the class's top students.

Saki blinked, "Hey, uh... are you all right? You look kinda pale."

Sayu was drawn out of her thoughts. Her eyes met the concerned ones of Saki. "Actually, I haven't been feeling real well lately. I'm hoping it'll just disappear in a few days." she replied with a shrug.

"So, then why are you here, Sayu? Oh... well... other than buying gorcceries, obviously."

"I kind of wanted to prepare a nice New Year's Eve dinner for my boyfriend... since I didn't do that during Christmas."

"Hmm... I see... did you get any wine for midnight?"

Sayu's gut clenched. Wine. Alcohol. She didn't want to get near the stuff for fear it might invoke her uncontrolable craving for it. She quickly shook her head. "Er... no. I got the sparkling cider... I figure it's better anyway."

"Ara, ara, Sayu-chan... you are such a good and selfless person. I aspire to be you... I envy those who have nothing to worry about... I suppose I should let you get back to your shopping, though. I'll see ya later!! Take care of yourself!!"

Saki and Reikan turned in the opposite direction to leave the building with their cart full of grocceries. Sayu stood still and watched them leave. Saki wanted nothing to worry about... no commitments or anything of the sort... but she didn't understand. Saki had everything Sayu wanted... and everything Sayu would never have. It was she who envied her.

**xXx**

As soon as Sayu had left Matsuda jumped out of bed and put his shoes on. He'd created the entire sleeping-charade to trick Sayu into thinking he was asleep. Matsuda didn't like the thought of fooling Sayu, but he knew it would be worth it... or at least... he hoped it would. Matsuda threw his coat on his back and hurried out the door. He had to return before Sayu did.

Luckily for him there wasn't any snow on the ground to leave foot prints in. That would have been a-whole-nother problem all together. Nothing was more important to him in his life at the moment than Sayu was. He never wanted that to go away. Never. He loved her with all his heart, and he wanted nothing more than to be with her for the rest of his life.

Matsuda walked a long way to the store he needed to go to. He wasn't even sure if he had enough money for something like this, but New Year's Eve was the absolute perfect time to propose to the love of his life. He walked in through the doors of the jewlery store. The man behind the glass counter greeted him with a broad smile. "Good afternoon, Sir!"

"Er... hi."

"My name is Houhei Itaku. Is there anything I can help you find, perhaps for someone special?"

Matsuda looked at the man. He looked to be about 20... about Sayu's age. The idea made him feel old. He immediately wondered if he was even doing the proper thing anymore. Matsuda let the notion drop from his mind. He had more prominent things to worry about at the moment, and his age wasn't one of them.

"Yeah... I need a ring."

"Oh, getting engaged, are we?"

Matsuda smiled, "Yes... to the most perfect girl in the world."

Houhei chuckled. "Heh, we all think that, don't we? Might I ask who this "perfect girl" is?"

"Yagami Sayu."

Houhei's mouth dropped. "Are you serious??!"

Matsuda didn't know what Houhei meant by that. He took it to assume Houhei knew Sayu. Matsuda figured he'd wait for Itaku to continue speaking.

"Yagami-chan? I can't believe this! This is... whoa! So amazing! Er... -cough- I uh... mean.... Look, she and I were high school classmates. She was like... one of my best friends. I just can't believe she's getting married! Well... I guess she's gotta say the right word first though, right?"

"I guess. So... that means you're... 20... 21-ish? Aren't you still in college? Aren't you a bit young to be working in a place like this?"

Houhei laughed. "Well... I suppose. I didn't go to college, I had to start a job right away. I didn't want to deny my wife the opportunity to go study at a university somewhere. We... uh... started a family kind of early."

"Hm... I see."

"I don't mean to be rude or nosey or anything like that... so, please don't take what I'm about to say that way, but... why the interest in Yagami-chan? I mean... you're not in our age group.... and I don't mean that in any sort of negative way."

Matsuda laughed. Houhei was trying his best to be respectful. Age was something Matsuda constantly questioned when he was around Sayu, but he supposed that if she cared about age over love he wouldn't be here trying to buy an engagement ring for her.

"No, you're right. I'm 33 years old." Matsuda told the young man with a smile.

"Whoa... er, I mean--"

"Haha, it's okay. I know it's a pretty large gap between Sayu and myself. But she's just... so amazing."

Houhei was surprised by Matsuda's casual talk. "Well, honestly I was thinking you were like... 25 or something... I would never have guessed 33... but... it doesn't really matter. I know just the ring for Yagami-chan..."

Houhei led Matsuda over to one of the glass counters and pointed to a ring on the inside. It had a silver band and was studded with two tiny diamonds on either side of the large one in the middle. Houhei smiled. "The best part about this ring is it's one of the cheapest ones we have... and if I know Yagami, she's not gonna want anything real expensive on her finger.... she'll get real nervous wearing something like that around, heh heh."

Matsuda's smile returned to his face. Houhei really must've known Sayu at some point, because Sayu would probably just get nervous wearing a fairly simple ring like the one Houhei had suggested. The salesman continued speaking, "We can engrave it for you too, if you'd like."

"That's all right... I'll take it as it is."

"Okay, splendid!"

**xXx**

Sayu had spent the majority of the afternoon running errands, and she still had to cook dinner. Besides the point, she felt awful. Sayu wondered if it had anything to do with her head injury from earlier in the season. She fumbled with the grocceries in her arms as she tried to find the house key buried in her pocket. A friendly hand grabbed the falling bags from her. Sayu glanced thankfully at Nami's smiling face.

"Thanks, Nami. That really helps." Sayu unlocked the door to the appartment and quietly entered, "Try to keep your voice down, Touta is probably still sleeping."

"That poor man doesn't get much sleep these days, does he?" Nami wispered, setting the grocceries on the kitchen table for Sayu.

She sighed, "No, he really doesn't--"

Sayu's sentence was cut short. She felt the compelling urge to puke in the closest drain; the kitchen sink. Nami held Sayu's hair out of her face, and rubbed her back with her free hand. Her hands were free now that Udeki was able to be carried around in the carrier strapped to Nami's front.

When Sayu was finished Nami led her over to the table and sat her down on the nearest chair. Disgusting as it was, Nami cleaned out the sink. She handed a glass of water to Sayu, which Sayu gratefully accepted. "Your face looks so flushed, Sayu."

"Oh... well I'm actually not feeling all that great."

"I can tell! So, how long have you been feeling like this?"

"I've had the flu for a few weeks now... it just refuses to go away."

Nami was shocked Sayu would let it last that long. "That settles it then! I'm driving you to the doctor's office right now!"

"What?! No! Y-you can't! I have to--" Nami cut her off, "You shouldn't be doing anything in your condition. I'm taking you to the doctor's, and that's final."

Sayu tried to find a reason to stay home; she hated going to the doctor's office or the hospital... mainly because the only person who would see her was Utashima, and although he was a friendly enough man.... he had a way of scaring her and annoying her at the same time. "Y-you don't have an appointment... and... it closes soon."

Nami gave her a devilish smirk as she held up her cell phone, "Oh? But I have him on speed dial."

Sayu groaned, partially because she knew she'd lost the fight... and partially becase she felt like shit. As Nami finished speaking with Utashima she smiled down at her sick friend, "He's gonna stay a bit longer just so he can see you. Aside from going in because you're ill, Utashima was going to call you tomorrow to check your head anyway, so he figured he might as well kill two birds with one stone. Now, c'mon... up we go."

Nami helped Sayu to her feet. "But... what about... Touta?" Sayu managed to ask.

"Don't worry about him. He's a big boy, he can take care of himself." Nami assured her.

**xXx**

"Ah! Yagami-chan! I hear you're not feeling up to par. Want to tell me what's going on?"

Nami answered so Sayu didn't have to, "Actually, Doc, she puked right before we left. I asked her how long she had been feeling crappy and she told me that it's been an on-going thing for a few weeks now."

He shook his head in disbelief, "Sayu, Sayu, Sayu-dear... that just isn't good. You should never wait that long without seeing a professional for medical treatment."

The white room spun around Sayu's dizzy mind. She just nodded to the doctor, and muttered her appologies. The scent that wafted to her nostrils was crisp and sterile. Sayu hated the smell of hospitals; loathed was probably a more accurate word. She simply disliked everything about the medical field. There was nothing pleasing or satisfactory about it. The whole thing was based on chance and risks... things Sayu didn't believe in anymore.

"Well, I'll send a nurse here in a few minutes to check on your head while I analyze this information. Also, Sayu, I'd like to run a few tests if that's all right with you."

"Er... yeah... sure... whatever." Sayu was completely side-swept by his question; she was totally unprepared for it.

Utashima nodded, "Good. I'll be back shortly."

He closed the door as he exited the room. Sayu shut her eyes, trying to shield her vision from the bright flourescent lights on the ceiling. Nami was busy feeding Udeki a bottle of formula. Sayu fell into a deep slumber, completely drowning out any sound around her.

The next thing she knew she heard Nami screming at Utashima from the great depths of her mind. Sayu wasn't sure if she was perhaps dreaming, or if reality was beginning to seep in.

"I'm sorry, but the results won't come in for... weeks maybe."

"No! That's unacceptable, dammit! You better get me those fucking damn results today! I'm not leaving this God forsaken room until I have them in my hand! What the hell are you trying to pull here?! Sayu has the right to know about something like that! I think it's kinda important, don't you?!"

"Please calm down, Ma'am. I'll do everything in my power to get the results to Miss. Yagami asap."

"Damn straight you will!"

Sayu heard the door shut and decided it was safe to open her eyes. Nami greeted her with a smile as if nothing had happened. Sayu's brow furrowed, "What's going on?"

Nami frowned, "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

Sayu lied, "No."

"Well, there's nothing wrong. Utashima and I had a little misunderstanding; he says he'll take care of it though, so there's nothing for you to worry about."

Sayu wasn't convinced. Nami doesn't curse unless something of epic proportion occured, whether it be good or bad. Sayu began to mentally panic. It was several hours later that Utashima re-entered the room, fully prepared to walk into a war zone. He was relieved to see Sayu awake on the sterilized matress.

Utashima's face was unreadable, and Sayu glared at the print on the papers in utter astonishment. Sayu wasn't sure if she wanted to break down and cry, or give a sigh of relief knowing it wasn't life threatening. However, the matter was very serious, and Sayu knew she had to tell Matsuda of this new development. She just didn't know how he would feel knowing the results of Utashima's test. She only hoped he wouldn't leave her... that was the worst possible thing Matsuda could ever do, for without him in her life, Sayu saw no point in living.

**xXx**

Matsuda paced in the living room. The car had been parked in one of the spaces out front, the grocceries were scattered across the dinning table, and the kitchen smelled rank, yet there was no sign of Sayu anywhere. Nami wasn't home, so he figured she was out partying somewhere since it was New Year's Eve. Midnight had passed nearly half an hour ago, and the ring he had spent three paychecks on was weighted heavily with fear in his pocket.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Sayu stumbled in wearing a blank expression on a pale face. She looked like she'd just seen a ghost. Matsuda grabbed her into his arms and kept her there until he was sure she wasn't just an illusion. She was safe. He carried her into the living room and sat her down on the couch. Her expression shifted when she caught the mixture of scents originating from the kitchen. "What is that smell?"

Matsuda held up a couple of car fresheners and a can of fabreeze. "Are you talking about the... Wild Lavender, or the... Tropical Polmergranate?"

Sayu let out a light giggle. It was so Matsuda to use _car fresheners_ in their _kitchen_. "I think it's just the mixture of the two."

He took that into consideration before setting the air fresheners aside. Sayu knew her news had to be shared at that moment. "Er... Touta, I have something I... want to ask you..."

He smiled, "I have something I want to ask you, too."

Sayu bit her lip... she wanted to go first, she knew her medical report was more important than whatever it was Matsuda had to say, but she chickened out. "Why don't you go first." She told him.

"Okay..." He got down on one knee in front of her, "I know this is kind of sudden... but... Yagami Sayu, will you marry me?"

Her mouth fell open as he produced a box containing a silver-banded diamond ring from his back pocket. She was completely speechless. In that single moment she forgot all about her trip to the doctor's and the dinner that she was unable to cook. It was just her and Matsuda, and a silence that filled the room.

Sayu flung her arms around his neck, "Yes!"

He removed her hands from his neck, and slid the silver ring onto her slim finger. They stood from the floor and Matsuda leaned down to kiss her lips, but she shied away. He was surprised by her action. There was obviously something bothering Sayu. He guessed it had something to do with whatever her question was.

Matsuda quickly changed the subject, "So what was it you wanted to ask me?"

Sayu leaned against his chest, gazing up at his face. He wrapped his arms tighter around her slender figure, pressing her against his body and gazing into her lovely eyes. "What do you... think... about becoming a father?"

He raised a brow, "That was kind of random... where did that question come from?"

She decided to just let it out... get it over with, "I'm pregnant."

Sayu watched his expression. His face grew solemn. Sayu wondered if she'd hurt him in some unforseeable way. He asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yes... I... understand if... you don't want me to marry you now..." Sayu began to remove the ring from her finger, but Matsuda's hand stopped her.

"I would never even suggest that, Sayu. I love you... I know how badly you wanted a kid... I just... want to know who the father is."

She stared incredulously into his eyes, "You are."

He sighed, "I thought we went over this, Sayu..."

"We did, but I even had Utashima triple check to make sure there weren't any mistakes. He told me there was only a five percent chance of it ever happening... I... just happened to fall in that five percent."

Five percent. That was all it took, wasn't it? Matsuda should have learned his lesson. So long as there is even a small percentage, nothing is impossible. Afterall, L had deduced that the chances of Light-kun being Kira were only five percent.... maybe less.... and Light was indeed Kira. Matsuda ran his fingers through his mess of raven hair. The only thing his mind could fixate on was: _What the hell am I gonna tell her mother?!_

He muttered to himself, "My life is like a poorly written shoujo-manga...."

Sayu smiled. Although her thoughts were colliding with one another, and the biggest one stood out: _Oh man... 'the hell am I supposed to tell his parents??! _He pulled her close, resting his head at the nape of her neck, and wispered, "Aren't you worried about being too young for this?"

She blinked. "Of course not! In fact, my friend Saki had her first kid in high school! Don't you dare tell me I'm too young!"

He smiled; that was just the response he should have expected from her. Sayu continued, "And don't you tell me I'm too little or too small or tiny, either! I'm telling you and anyone else who tries to pull that card on me that I can handle this just fine!"

"If you say so, Sayu." He smiled, now looking down at her face.

"Happy New Year, _Fianceé_." Sayu told him before planting a loving kiss on his lips.

When they broke apart Matsuda chuckled, "Happy New Year, _Preggers_."

Sayu laughed as she threw several pillows from the couch at Matsuda's head for calling her that. He dove into the kitchen for cover. "Oh, you win; I surrender." Sayu held her arms up, "I'm not going in there with all the _car_ fresheners, hehehe."

* * *

_Hey... Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, been kind of busy. Anyway, Happy New Year everyone (even though it's kind of early for that XD)!!! Also, in case anyone didn't know, my birthday was last week, so cyber presents are nice if you wanna leave some of those lol jkjkjk._

_Also, I can't tell you much about why my story is slowly turning into a bad (for lack of a better word) fanfiction, all I can say is everything happens for a reason and not every story has a happy ending (cue music) BUM BUM BUM BUUUUUUM!!!!! Suspenseful, isn't it? Here's a small spoiler.... THE DEATH NOTE RETURNS!!!!! :O_

_Please leave me reviews! They help to keep my creative juices flowing! :D_


	9. Hana and Karin

There were many cars parked in the driveway when Matsuda pulled up to his parents' house. He mentally kicked himself for forgetting about their little family get-together every January to usher in the New Year. Usually it was his sisters and their families who came over, and when he was still in middle school that wasn't a problem. But after awhile, their families began growing in number, and Matsuda found that their "family gathering" was getting all too crowded. He parked his car along the curbside, and went to open the door on the passenger side for Sayu.

"I'm guessing this is why we brought chips and salsa?" Sayu asked him, carrying the groccery bag of snack items out of the car.

"No... but we're about to enter a war zone..." Matsuda laughed, "we can use it as a peace offering!"

Sayu giggled slightly. She had no idea what was going on, all she knew was that not only was she going to have to tell his parents about her and Matsuda... she was going to have to tell his siblings, too. Sayu prayed the older girls weren't as crazy as their parents. Two boys attacking eachother with snowballs ran into the front yard. They put their battle on pause and stared as Matsuda and Sayu stood at the foot of the path leading into the house.

"Uncle T?" The older one asked.

Sayu recognized him from her high school years. He was a year younger than she was. It was a little akward for her to think about. She didn't mention it to Matsuda, she knew it would unnerve him.

Matsuda smiled at his nephew, "Hey, Kotetsu."

The other boy wasn't quite as old, and sported a green mohawk. Sayu guessed he was currently a senior in high school. He threw a snowball at Matsuda. "Ha! Gotchya, Uncle Touta!"

The two boys ran for cover in the back yard laughing. Matsuda wiped the cold snow from his face, vowing he would return the favor later. "I'll get you when you least expect it, Zokushi!"

Sayu heard the boy calling from behind the house, "Only if you can catch me, Old Man!!"

She smiled. "So whose _charming_ boys were those?"

"They belong to my sister, Karin... C'mon, let's get you inside."

As they opened the door, all the festivities came to an abrupt halt. Sayu felt uncomfortable with so many eyes on her, and the room was so crowded with people that she was feeling a little claustrophobic. Tachi was the first to greet them, "Sayu, Touta! Come inside out of the cold."

She took Matsuda and Sayu's coats and offered them a couple of open seats on the couch. Sayu was sitting beside a woman with a short-cropped black pixie cut and brown eyes. She had to be one of Matsuda's sisters. She had her arms crossed and refused to even look at Sayu. Mrs. Matsuda perked a brow at the groccery bag of snacks Sayu was holding. "What's that in your hands?"

"Hm? Oh! Right! Here you go!" she offered them to the old woman, "We brought snacks for everyone."

She gave Sayu a kind nod and took the snacks into the kitchen. The room was still silent, as if everyone was waiting for something. It was too quiet. The suspense was making Sayu worry a little. Suddenly someone blew a loud ear-pirecing whistle and everyone lined up in an orderly fashion in the living room. The two boys who'd been wrestling outside even joined them.

"Touta, what's going on?" Sayu whispered, confused.

"I'm going to introduce you to everyone, then I think it'll be time to eat."

He took her hand as they stood from the couch together. They started at the beginning of the line. "You all ready know my mom and dad, Tachi and Yoru Matsuda."

He pointed to a younger woman with red hair and warm brown eyes craddling a small infant in her arms, as well as her blonde-haired green-eyed husband. "My sister Hana, who is four years older than me, her newest daughter, Miyu, and her husband, Kai."

"These are her five other daughters ages twelve, ten, eight, six and two. Hitomi, Kari, Ori, Rima, and Yukato."

The first four girls had brown or hazel eyes and the two-year-old had green eyes like her father. Hitomi was the only girl that had her mother's red hair. Sayu's eyes were caught by the two mischevious boys in the middle of their family. She couldn't tell which was which. Each boy had one green eye and one brown eye covered by shaggy red bangs. Matsuda smiled, "These two are my nephews Kensuke and Rensuke. We mainly just refer to them as "the twins". They had their fourth birthday not that long ago."

The next woman glared at Sayu. It was the woman who had been sitting next to her on the couch. Sayu guessed her name before Matsuda said it. "This is my sister Karin, she's two years older than me. And this is her husband, Nagi."

Nagi was a businessman kind of guy; standing up real straight and giving Sayu a real serious look. His hair was honeybrown, and his eyes were a dark brown hidden behind a pair of black-rimmed glasses. Matsuda moved on to Karin's four kids. Sayu had sort of all ready met the first two, Kotetsu and Zokushi. He introduced the younger two to Sayu. "This is Tate, whose seven years old, and Anko, whose five years old."

The boy looked exactly like his father, but he seemed extremely shy. The girl was cute and had her raven hair in two braids on either side of her head. Matsuda brought Sayu to an area where everyone could see her. He then told everyone Sayu's name. He didn't give them his relationship status with Sayu, because he wanted to do that at dinner. Mrs. Matsuda then jumped out of the line, calling everyone to the table. Matsuda pulled a chair out for Sayu to sit in, and then sat in the chair beside her. Unfortunately, she was seated beside Karin again.

Once everyone's plate was full of food, Karin stood up. "Mother, I refuse to sit beside an outsider! What does this _Sayu_ know of our family and it's traditions??!"

Sayu knew what was going to occur before anything had even happened yet. Matsuda rose from his seat, "Sayu won't be an outsider for long!"

"Oh really, Baby Brother? Says who?"

"Says me!"

"Then propose to her! I'd like to see you _try_! Touta, you're about as spineless as _jelly_!" Karin fired at him.

Yagami pushed her plate aside. She suddenly lost her appetite. She rested her head on the table's surface while Matsuda and his sister bickered over her. Finally Hana intervened in the argument from across the table while she was trying to nurse Miyu. "Touta and Karin... shutup! Our families haven't gotten together like this in a year. Let's make it through dinner at least before we begin arguing once more. Okay?"

Karin crossed her arms and took her seat with a harrumph. Touta, however, remained standing. As if he didn't all ready have everyone's attention, he tapped his spoon against his glass. Sayu sat up at that point. This was it. They were about to reveal the big news. She supposed the rest of the family would rejoice, but Sayu was more concerned with how Karin was going to take it.

"I have an announcement to make." Matsuda cleared his throat, "Sayu and I... are getting married."

Mrs. Matsuda squealed with delight. Karin just glared at her brother; she commented, "I don't see a ring. She needs an engagement ring before she can be called your fiancé."

Sayu showed Karin the diamond studded ring on her finger. The girl was obviously not expecting that. Matsuda extended a hand to Sayu, and she stood as she grasped it. They heard a mighty applause, and cheering from around the table. Sayu even picked out Kotetsu calling for Matsuda to french kiss her, and she caught Zokushi's vile suggestion for him to slap her ass claiming that "chicks dig that". Matsuda tried to silence them. "Thank you for welcoming my bride-to-be into our family. We aren't quite finished yet, though. Sayu and I have been considering getting a new home. A nice house somewhere in the suburbs, away from all the crime that goes on in the city--"

His mother cut him off, "Oh, but Touta... didn't you say you like being in the police force? Don't the japanese police generally deal with all the crime?"

"Yes, but I don't want Sayu staying in a crime infested neighborhood crammed into the city when I'm not there. I don't know if you knew this or not, but I work third shift, which means Sayu is alone at night."

"She's a big girl! She can take care of herself!" Karin spat.

Matsuda ignored his sister's rude comment. However, Kotetsu and Zokushi were fed up with listening to their mother's petty cruelties. "Mom, do us all a favor and--" Kotetsu was interrupted by Zokushi, "SHUT THE FUCK UP, BITCH!!!!"

Karin was appalled that her boys would say such heartless things to her. Kotetsu sighed, "Okay... that wasn't what I was gonna say, but still... anyway, Uncle T, please continue."

Matsuda had gained a nervous habit of running his fingers through his hair. Sayu wondered idly if she had been the cause of him developing said habit. "I just feel uncomfortable leaving Sayu alone unguarded... but... there's another reason, too... er... our house is getting too small... uhm... we, uh... might need a new chair... uhm...."

He looked to Sayu for help. She really didn't want to have to break it to his parents. That was her worst fear, but she knew she had to since he was beginning to stutter nonsense. She exhaled, "I think what Touta is trying to say is... I'm pregnant."

Kotetsu, Zokushi, and Hitomi were the first to leap from their seats and crowd around Sayu. The other adults followed suit, save for Karin and her husband, who were utterly speechless and horrified. Anko tapped her father's arm. "Daddy... Aren't people supposed to be married before they have a baby?"

Hana laughed at the look Nagi was giving his daughter. He looked so uncomfortable. She grinned deviously and Karin shot her a look that said 'Don't you dare--!'. However, Hana ignored it at the prospect of giving her sister one hell of a time explaining the answer to the young girl's question. "Well, Anko, your mommy and daddy weren't married before they had a baby, so I wouldn't expect your Uncle Touta to be married either."

Zokushi punched his brother in the arm, "Yo, ya hear that? They're talking about you."

"Yeah, I heard." Kotetsu replied resignedly.

Karin glared at Hana, "That was a totally different situation!"

Yoru cut in, "Well, at least Touta got engaged _first_, Karin. You weren't even that."

The five year old blinked and looked at her father again. "Is that true, Daddy?"

Zokushi beamed, "Hell yeah, Kiddo! And guess what..."

Karin attempted to stop her son from producing anymore embarassment for her, "Zokushi, stop!"

He continued anyway, "Mom and Dad didn't just have _one_ kid without getting married.... they had _two_!"

"Two?" Anko asked, "Who's the other one?"

Zokushi slapped his hand against his forehead. Kotetsu just laughed. The mohawk kid explained it to his sister carefully, "Look, _I'm_ that other kid. Mom and Dad weren't even married until a year before Tate was born."

Anko gasped and waved a finger at her parents. "That's a no-no!"

Tate said something, but no one heard him, so Anko translated. "Tate says: It's like you tell Kotetsu and Zokushi... uh..." she paused and waited for her brother to whisper the rest in her ear, but she made a face, "_Ew!!!_ I'm not saying _that!!!_"

Tears began welling in Karin's eyes. "THANK YOU VERY MUCH, TOUTA! FOR SUCCESSFULLY _RUINING _MY EVENING!!"

She stood from the table and hurried down a hallway toward a small bathroom. The table was silent for several minutes, before Tachi decided she should try to go console her daughter. Sayu rested a hand on Tachi's shoulder, "Wait... let me do it."

Sayu followed the path she had seen Karin take down the hallway. She knocked thrice on the bathroom door. Karin's voice came from the inside. "Who is it? What do you want?"

She sighed. "It's Sayu. I just want to talk."

"Who would want to talk with _you_? Go away."

"Listen, if there's anything I can--" Karin cut her off by opening the door and glaring at her.

She got close to Sayu so no one else would hear anything she was about to say, "You wanna do something that'll make me feel better? I'll tell you what you can do. You can go and get that thing inside you _abortioned_."

Her eyes widened with horror. A word fell from her mouth without her permission, "Why?"

Karin looked toward the table before pulling Sayu into the bathroom and locking the door behind her. "Look,_ Kid_. It's not that I'm not happy for my brother... and... you... but I went down that road and failed _miserably_. I mean... you see how Kotetsu and Zokushi turned out. They weren't mistakes, but I was unprepared and it happened so unexpectedly. I don't want Touta to be burdened with that kind of thing; he can't handle it. Hell, I bet you anything he can't even handle _you!_"

"Well, I _can_ handle it. So I guess that means there's nothing to worry about." Sayu retalliated.

The woman shook her head, "You don't get it. I'm only looking out for you. I all ready disapproved of you the moment my brother fell in love with you. And I'll tell you why: It's because to _me_, you're like a little kid. I mean, you're the same age as my eldest son. You see how akward that is for me?"

"I can understand your feelings, but there isn't anything you can do about the situation."

Karin's tone changed, "Please... for my brother's sake, you have to get rid of it."

Sayu was the one glaring at Karin now. "Absolutely not! Do you even know a single thing about your brother?" Sayu didn't know if she was doing the right thing or not, but her anger was getting the better of her, "Do you even know why Touta hasn't been interested in anyone or why he hasn't tried to start a family of his own by now?"

"Should I?" Karin asked a little nonchalantly and coated with sarcasm.

Sayu quieted, she didn't want anyone else to hear, save for Karin. "Look, Touta has been around me for as long as I can remember... he was never interested in anyone else..."

"So you skipped right ahead to making babies? Oh joy... Hana will be _thrilled_ she's got some competition now. I don't care, I--" Sayu cut her off, "You don't get it. Touta can't really have kids."

She raised a brow, "What?"

"Yeah."

"So then... how--?"

Sayu shrugged, "It was some sort of miracle, I guess. But it's definitely Touta's kid. Karin, if I abort this child... I'm not getting another one."

"Sorry... my position still stands... perhaps you'll get another... _miracle_."

"I doubt it. I'm not taking the chance." Sayu told her soon-to-be-sister-in-law.

Karin smiled and then laughed. "Hahaha, you know, it's been a long time since anyone has really stood their ground against me... even Zokushi doesn't normally get his way, haha."

Sayu's brow raised. Where was Karin going with that thought? The woman rested a hand on Sayu's shoulder. "I won't pester you about this matter any further... just please, take what I said into consideration when you make your decision. Ultimately it's your choice... you have my support though."

"What made you change your mind?" Sayu wondered curiously.

"You remind me of someone I once knew..."

"And who would that be?"

Karin laughed, "Wouldn't it be funny if I said something _corny_ like 'me?' Haha, no... the person you remind me of... is no longer alive, but she was my best friend. I vowed I'd have a daughter to name after her in honor of our friendship. If Kotetsu had been a girl... I would have stopped there... but I ended up with four kids... it's a bit much to tell you the truth. My friend was just like you. When you walked in the door with my brother, I couldn't believe my eyes... I could have sworn she'd come back from the dead..."

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. Now... it's seems to me you should probably eat some more, yes?"

"Actually, I'm not that hungry." Sayu told Karin truthfully.

"Nonsense!" Karin unlocked the door and found her two eldest boys, along with Hitomi attempting to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Her glare sent them running as she and Sayu made their way back to the table to actually eat.

**xXx**

Sayu stared at herself in the floor length mirror mounted on their bedroom door. How long were they going to wait before they told her mother she was pregnant? Weeks? Months? Years? Sayu's belly was all ready beginning to show, and she was only going to get bigger. Sayu felt sick just thinking about the conversation that would have to take place with her mother. Sachiko was sure to yell at her for not getting married first.

It had been almost a month since Matsuda's family had been told, and Tachi insisted on visiting every couple of weeks to check on Sayu. Yagami didn't mind, but she had other things to worry about at the moment... like her own mother's _wrath_. Matsuda opened the door to find Sayu had been examining herself in the mirror.

She was only wearing the shirt and underwear she had gone to bed in the previous night. He tossed her the pajama bottoms she refused to sleep in now that the weather was beginning to slightly warm up. "Get dressed."

She frowned. "What for?"

"You've been putting off telling your mother for long enough. I think it's time we told her." He explained.

"Oh yeah? So then what's your excuse for not telling Aizawa?"

It was true. Matsuda hadn't told anyone at work that he was even _dating_ Sayu... let alone _engaged_ to her... and telling them she was_ pregnant_ was _completely_ out of the question! He would end up mauled by his co-workers. But neither of them could hide it forever. Matsuda smiled at her. "Well, maybe we should stop by the station after we visit your mother then?"

"Why do we have to tell my mom _first_?" Sayu complained, sliding her legs into the comfy red, plaid pants.

He chuckled, "Because I think family should come before the boys down town."

"Tch. You're only saying that so you can put off telling Aizawa longer."

"That, too." Matsuda confessed.

He held a jacket for Sayu to slide her arms into, and then she pulled on a pair of converse. She sighed. "Okay, then. Let's get this over with."

* * *

_Sorry for the long wait. I was going to add Sachiko's reaction to Sayu's news in this chapter as well, but I figured... you guys have waited long enough for an update. Sweet of me, right? lol._

_Anyway! Please leave a review. They definitely help me to come up with ideas! Thank you so much!_


	10. Autumn Breeze

Sayu and Matsuda stood on the stoop waiting for Sachiko to answer the door. As the door opened, Sayu smiled to her mother's face. Sachiko enveloped her daughter in a hug. "Oh my! Sayu! It's so good to see you!"

She then caught sight of Matsuda. "Dear, what's _he_ doing here? I think you're perfectly capable of visiting me without his supervision."

Sayu sighed. "Oka, can it. Are you going to invite us in or not?" Sayu hadn't meant for the words to come out so heartless; the mood swings must be starting.

Sachiko stepped aside wordlessly and allowed the two to set foot into her home. Everyone sat right down on the living room couches. Sayu and Matsuda sat together on one, and Sachiko on the other. Sayu saw the framed picture she had given her mother for Christmas hanging on one of the walls. She smiled. At least her mother hadn't cut Matsuda's face out of it. "So tell me," Sachiko pressed, "what's the occasion? I mean it's not that I don't enjoy your company, Sayu... but I get so little of it."

"Well," Sayu inhaled a deep breath, deciding to just let the news out, "I'm engaged."

Sachiko's face lit up with excitement. "Really?!! To who?! Did he get you a ring?! Oh! Let me see it!!!"

Sayu extended her hand to her mother and Sachiko examined the diamond ring on Sayu's finger. Sayu didn't say anything, so Sachiko tried to pry more information from her daughter's mouth. "Who gave this to you? Who's your fiancé?"

The Yagami girl beamed with delight as she spoke her lover's name. "Matsuda Touta."

Sachiko's mouth dropped. She couldn't believe her ears. Did Sayu just say she was engaged to Matsuda??! Hadn't her daughter told him once before that she wouldn't date him because he was too old for her? Now she was _engaged_ to him?!! Not only this, but Matsuda was a cop. Mrs. Yagami highly disapproved of the choice her daughter had made.

"Sayu! What on _Earth_ are you thinking?!! He's a cop! I thought I told you before that I would never permit you to marry someone who was part of the police force." She turned to Matsuda, "And Matsuda, I am absolutely _ashamed_ of you! How dare you even _think_ of asking my daughter... _Soichiro's_ daughter to marry you! The mere idea _sickens_ me!"

Sayu saw how Matsuda flinched at every word her mother shot at him, but he did not deny or argue any of it. He simply sat there and accepted every pirecing word she threw at him. She narrowed her eyes in her mother's direction. "Mom. We didn't come here to ask for your blessing. We came here to tell you, because we thought you should know... no other reason. Whether you like it or not, Touta-kun and I are going to get married and that's final."

"_Touta_?" Sachiko breathed his name like it were a disease.

They sat there in silence for a long time before Sachiko spoke again. This time her question was aimed toward Matsuda in a soft... gentle... even appologetic tone. "So... when's the wedding?"

The two hadn't even thought about wedding plans yet. They were so preoccupied with everything else that was going on that they didn't even have time to plan out their wedding. Matsuda answered, "I'm not sure... actually... some stuff has come up, so the wedding may have to be sometime... er... next year."

"Next year? Why wait so long?" Sachiko asked skeptically.

Here came the BIG news. Sayu dropped the bomb on her mother. "I'm pregnant, that's why."

The fury was evident on Sachiko's face. Sayu could tell she just wanted to drag Matsuda into a dark alley and beat the living shit out of him with a board covered in sharp, rusted nails and then just leave him there to die a slow and painful death. Her glare did not waver from Matsuda's face. "I _knew_ it was a bad idea to let you stay with him."

Sayu stood up from her spot on the couch, her hands balled into fists. She had an equal glare portruding from her eyes centered on her mother. Sayu hated her mother's irrational predjudice toward Matsuda. "C'mon, Touta... we're leaving."

He looked over at her slightly confused. He wasn't sure if her hormones were just getting to her or if she was actually serious about abandoning her mother. Either way, he stayed seated. This didn't go unnoticed by Sachiko. She reached for her daughter's hand, but Sayu slapped her away. Matsuda didn't think all this stress and anger could possibly be good for Sayu. He wanted her to calm down... then maybe the three of them could sit and work this whole ordeal out somehow; compromise. "Sayu, we can't-"

"Well, fine then! You don't wanna leave? FINE! I'll be upstairs if anyone needs me! And I'm NOT coming back down until you two can just GET ALONG!!!" Sayu shouted, storming up the staircase.

Matsuda sighed, running his fingers through his hair. It wasn't his fault his mother-in-law-to-be was so adamant about keeping him out of Sayu's life. He guessed she thought something similar about him, like 'it wasn't her fault he'd chosen a career as a cop' or something. He wanted to go check and see if Sayu was all right, but he'd have to pass Sachiko in order to get to the staircase. Was he willing to risk it? For Sayu... yes.

Matsuda began to get to his feet when Sachiko held up a hand, "Wait... she's right. We need to talk about this."

"Someone has to go make sure she's okay."

Sachiko moved her head back and forth. "No. Let's give her some time to calm down."

**xXx**

Sayu stopped at the top of the staircase. She stood rooted to her place as she glared at Light's bedroom door. She grabbed the handle and turned it in her anger, shoving the door wide open. Suddenly all her fury was swept out from beneath her. She stood in the doorway of her now deceased brother's room... her brother... the mass murder Kira. The room before her eyes was dark, the bed was made and somehow everything seemed... still. As if time was halted when you passed from the hallway into the room.

She took a step forward, placing a hand on her abdomen. Was that instinctive? She didn't know. Sayu kept walking into his room... slowly. She was able to make it to his computer desk. She sat herself in the chair facing the computer. She looked over all his writing utensils and everything that was sprawled out across his desk in no particular order. She felt as though she was taking up space in a domain that didn't belong to her. She could feel tears rushing to her eyes, but somehow she was able to hold them back.

She caught sight of a magic eight ball in the corner of Light's desk. Hesitantly, Sayu reached out for it. She smiled inwardly. The eight ball had originally been her father's, but he had given it to her after she found it packed away in a long forgotten box in their attic. The sphere had been a gift to Light from her when she was in the second grade. It was hard for her to imagine Kira asking the magic eight ball if all of his plans and killings were going to succeed or not. She chuckled at the thought.

"Magic eight ball... Light... Light really was Kira, wasn't he?" she shook the superstitious sphere from the 80's.

'It is certain'

"Then... is Kira really dead?"

'Maybe'

"Maybe?" Sayu read, unsure of what that could mean, "But _Light _is dead, right?"

'Yes'

"So then by default Kira _must_ be dead!"

'No'

Sayu's brow furrowed. She knew that the magic eight ball was only a toy, but for some reason the responses she was receiving from it rang a bell of truth. She heard footsteps heading up the staircase. Sayu was quick to put the eight ball back into its place on Light's desk. Her mother's voice came from the doorway, "Sayu! What are you doing in here?!! This is Light's room!!"

"Light's _dead_, Mom." Sayu told her mother without any emotion.

Sachiko led Sayu out of the room and shut the door behind them. She had her daughter rejoin them downstairs, but Sayu wasn't as interested in what they were discussing so much as she had an interest in the enigma between Light and Kira's deaths.

As Sayu sat down Matsuda rubbed her arms, asking her if she was all right. She smiled at him and told him she would be fine. "Look, Sayu," Sachiko told her daughter, "We've been through a lot of loss recently, but I think it's time for us to move on and start to regain that which we've lost. Now, no one can replace your brother or your father, but... I think a few new additions to the family might be a good idea."

Sayu was in utter shock, and she could tell that her mother felt uncomfortable admitting such things. A wide smile spread itself across Sayu's face. She lept from her spot on the couch and flung her arms around her mother. Sachiko returned the gesture, hugging her daughter back. The three sat and talked for a good long while before Sayu glanced at the clock above the television. It was almost five in the afternoon and Aizawa got off of work at seven on Fridays.

She gave her mother a hug as she headed through the doorframe. "Sorry we have to leave in such a hurry... I honestly lost track of the time." Matsuda appologized over and over again.

Sachiko smiled in the traditional mother-like fashion before giving Matsuda a hug as well. "Stop appologizing... you're going to be a father, Matsuda.... grow a backbone!" She teased as the two headed for the car at the streetside.

"Er... okay." He said, apparently at a loss for words.

Sachiko laughed to herself as she watched her daughter and soon-to-be-son-in-law drive away from her porch. _He has no idea what he's gotten himself into._ She chuckled at the thought, moving back into her house and closing the front door behind her.

**xXx**

Matsuda held each door open for Sayu as they walked into the station. Matsuda checked his watch every couple of minutes to make sure they hadn't missed Aizawa yet. He motioned for Sayu to follow him up to the front desk. A woman with blonde hair pulled back into a messy bun and bright blue eyes was sitting behind the desk. Matsuda greeted her with a smile, "Hey, Tomoe-chan!"

She blinked and looked over at the two standing in front of her desk. "Hm? Oh! Matsuda-kun! Hey! How're ya doin'?! I haven't seen you in awhile."

"Yeah, well, I'm still working third shift..."

"Ah. Yup, that would be why! How are ya?"

"Pretty good. Oh, I have someone I wanna introduce to you." Matsuda grabbed Sayu's hand and pulled her closer to the desk, "This is Tomoe Kushina. Tomoe, this is Yagami Sayu."

Tomoe squealed with delight, hurrying around her desk to shake Sayu's hand. "Yagami Sayu!!! Oh! Matsuda has told me ALL about you! It's great that I'm finally meeting the girl whose 'touch is like the Autumn breeze'!!" Tomoe winked at Sayu, "That's a direct quote you know."

A furious blush ran across Matsuda's face, "Tomoe-chan!"

Sayu giggled, changing the topic, "Ms. Tomoe, is Chief Aizawa still here? We really need to talk with him."

Tomoe was silenced from her attack of laughter as Sayu changed the subject. Her voice swiftly changed to 'all-business', "Hm? Chief Aizawa should be in his office right now, but if you wanna catch him he's due to leave in six minutes."

"Okay, thanks, Tomoe!" Matsuda said, attempting to race off to Aizawa's office.

Tomoe grabbed his shirt collar, "Oh n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-no. You and dear Miss. Yagami have to sign-in, Mr. Matsuda. You know the drill."

She pushed a clipboard with a roster of names toward him. Tomoe handed Sayu a visitor's pass as Matsuda scribbled their names and the time on the sheet of paper. Tomoe nodded and he grabbed Sayu's hand and hurried off down a hallway of the police station, leaving Kushina at her desk smiling.

The two were relieved when they saw the light was still on in Aizawa's office. Matsuda stopped in front of his office door to straighten his tie and fix his messy hair as best he could to make himself more presentable. He knocked thrice upon Aizawa's door. Hearing a muffled, "Come in."

Matsuda told Sayu told stay outside the office for a moment. She nodded and watched him enter. Aizawa straightened a few papers before looking up at the person in his office. Matsuda. He raised a brow. "Matsuda? What're you doing here? You don't have a shift 'till Sunday night." He motioned toward one of the two chairs in his office, "Please, have a seat. Coffee?"

"Er, no thanks, Sir."

"Very well, let's get this over with... are you here to try and persuade me into changing your hours again?"

"No."

"Is it a promotion or raise you want, then?"

"No, Sir."

Aizawa let out an exasperated sigh, "All right, then, Matsuda... let's hear it. What do you want to ask me for this time?"

Matsuda strained his neck to look around at Aizawa's office door. Aizawa followed his gaze. Matsuda called out, "You can come in now."

Aizawa was surprised to see Yagami Sayu walk in through the door. She closed it behind her, not wanting others passing by in the hallway to eavesdrop on their conversation. She took a seat in the open chair in front of Aizawa's desk. She smiled at him, "Hello, Aizawa."

"Sayu-chan? Matsuda, what's the meaning of this?" Aizawa demanded.

Matsuda shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Well, Sir, uh, you see..."

Sayu butted in, "Usually it's none of the Boss's business what the employee does in his personal time, but I decided that you should know, Aizawa."

"Should know what?" Aizawa asked in a softer tone.

He wasn't really sure if he wanted to know, but he would listen if this really was Sayu's idea. After Yagami Soichiro died, Aizawa promised himself he would look after Sayu as if she were his own daughter. As he looked at her on the other side of his desk he asked himself, _When did she become so beautiful?_

She gave him the biggest smile he had ever seen her wear. She was finally happy. Aizawa curiously wondered what Matsuda did to restore the old Sayu within the girl. It was obvious that the woman sitting across from Aizawa was not a little girl, but only when she was a child did she smile like the way she was smiling now. "I'm getting married!" Sayu told him happily.

Aizawa smiled, "Sayu, that's wonderful. Congratulations."

"Wait, wait! There's more!" Sayu told him excitedly.

Aizawa waited, as she had asked. She continued with a smile even bigger than the one she had previously been wearing if it were possible, "I'm pregnant!!!"

His face remained stoic as she said those words. He had practiced the feat for many years, and now, more than ever, it was imperative that he keep his mouth shut. It was not his burden to bear if the Yagami girl was pregnant, but he didn't know if she was quite ready to be a mother yet. "Well, that certainly is some news, there." Aizawa stated, maintaining his cool demeanor, "Does your mother know?"

"Yes, I told her before coming over here to the station." Sayu told him with a smile.

He figured that if there had been a major issue with Sayu's pregnancy then Mrs. Yagami would have certainly taken care of it, however, considering Sayu's excitement, it seemed Sachiko was all right with the arrangement. Therefore, Aizawa smiled, again giving his congratulations. His attention then shifted back to Matsuda. "Now, back to the original conversation, why are _you_ here, Matsuda?"

Matsuda looked to Sayu for help and she gave him a warm and comforting smile. He smiled back with a little more courage. "Well, you see, Aizawa, I just wanted to let you know that because _I'm_ getting married, I'll be taking more time off than usual."

"Wait, _you're_ getting married as well?"

He smiled broadly, "Yes."

"Now who in their right mind would marry _you_?"

Sayu crossed her arms, "I would."

Aizawa's eyes widened and he looked back and forth between Sayu and Matsuda. "Then Matsuda is also....?"

Sayu grinned, "Yep!"

"I'm going to be a father." Matsuda confirmed.

Only as he said the words did he really understand them. The sudden realization hit him square in the chest, like a giant weight had just toppled on top of him. He was going to be a father. His own eyes widened and wild excitement spread across his face, "Aizawa! Aizawa! I'm going to be a father!!"

He jumped out of his seat and began happy-dancing all over Aizawa's office. Aizawa glared at him. "Matsuda... Matsuda. MATSUDA! SIT DOWN!!!!"

Matsuda immediately stopped and slinked his way back to his chair. Aizawa let out a long a frustrated breath of air. "All right. I'll let you take a little bit of extra off-time, but try to let me know before hand so I can send Mogi out with Ide on patrols, got it?"

Matsuda nodded hastily. "And Sayu..." Aizawa turned to face her as he spoke, "I don't want to see you get hurt again... please be careful."

She nodded and they were dismissed so he could finish packing up and head home to his own family. As the two exited the station Matsuda made a couple comments about the whole conversation, saying that it would have been much worse for him if she hadn't of been there. Sayu smiled at that as he opened the car door for her. She sat in the passenger seat of his little black four door car. She laughed remembering something from earlier as he entered the car. Matsuda raised a brow, "What's so funny?"

She leaned over and pressed his lips against her own, touching the side of his face with her fingertips. With a light chuckle, she whispered, "Like the Autumn breeze, huh?"

* * *

_I just wanted to say thank you so much to all my reviewers, I know it's been one hell of a long time since I last updated, but reviews definitely help in motivating me to write more chapters. Now, I also wanted to take this opportunity to say there will be a turn for the worse in the next chapter, and in the chapter following that we'll finally get to see some Death Note action!! Whoo!!! _

_So let's see some reviews, please! :D_


	11. What Lies Ahead

Recently, Sayu had, had no motivation to move about whatsoever. She sat lazily on the sofa, watching some random movie on the television with one hand on the remote and the other on her greatly expanded belly. She could smell the scent of miso ramen wafting from the kitchen where her mother was busy making her a midnight snack. Yes, Sachiko had pretty much moved into Sayu and Matsuda's appartment after Sayu hit her third trimester. Sachiko wasn't the only visitor Sayu found herself entertaining on a regular basis, Tachi also visited quite frequently, though she wasn't there on this particular evening.

"No, no, Sweetie, don't eat that!" Nami told her son, before prying something Sayu couldn't see out of his strong grip.

Most nights, Udeki wouldn't sleep, and it was on those nights that Nami traveled upstairs to chill out with Sayu. Although Sayu was thrilled to have company, it seemed to her she just needed a break from all of the people. Sadly, she feared that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. It was quite late for someone to be knocking at her front door. She guessed it was probably Tachi with more baby presents. Sayu sighed, turning off the television and struggling to rise from her comfortable spot on the couch. Nami laughed at her friend. "Stay put, I'll go answer the door."

With a strained breath, Sayu replied, "Yeah... thanks, Nami."

Nami placed Udeki into his new playpen and went to the door for Sayu. "Hello?"

"Er... maybe I don't have the right address; I'm looking for Yagami Sayu?"

"Yup, this is the place! C'mon in where there's air conditioning!!" Nami said heartily, though she did not recognize the woman at the door.

Sayu saw, for the first time, Karin enter the appartment. That was certainly unexpected. She hadn't seen Karin since January. Matsuda's sister gaped at the size of Sayu's stomach. "Oh my gosh! Sayu look... well, look at you! Heh, I bet you can't even get offa' that loveseat to come and greet me properly." she joked.

Sayu laughed, "Nope!"

Karin extended a hand to her future sister-in-law and helped her onto her feet. The two hugged eachother, even though Sayu's belly made that more difficult than it should have been. Sayu was quick to introduce Karin to the other two women within the appartment. Karin then sat down with Sayu and began recollecting all the events from the past few months up until the present. After some time, Karin finally took it upon herself to change the topic, "So, where's my little brother?"

"He was supposed to have the night off, but Chief Aizawa called him in a few hours ago. Apparently something big came up. He wouldn't tell me where he was going, or what he was doing, or anything... Aizawa had told him it was urgent and that's all Touta was allowed to tell me about it." Sayu answered, knowing that Matsuda should have been back before now, but not sharing that detail with Karin.

Karin caught sight of the remote and picked it up. She turned on the TV and flipped to the TV Guide to see what was on. "Well, let's watch a movie or something 'till he gets home then, shall we?"

Nami was all smiles now that her son had finally passed out in his playpen, "I'm down with that! What's on?"

Karin made a face as she read what was available to watch, "Hm... looks like our options are Balto, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, or Majide."

"Majide, definitely!!" Nami blurted out immediately.

"What about you?" Karin asked, "What do you feel like watching, Sayu?"

Sayu blinked. She was perfectly fine with just listening to Nami and Karin discuss what they were going to watch. "Oh, well... I'm good with whatever. I don't really have a preference."

"Hai! Majide it is, then!" Sachiko announced, serving ramen to the girls in the living room.

"What's this show about, anyway?" Sayu asked curiously; she had really never heard of it before.

Nami was very quick to answer, "Oh, it's only the GREATEST gameshow EVER!!! How could you NOT have heard of it?? Okay, so they get Americans and put them on teams and set up these halarious and _completely_ _whacked-out_ challenges for the teams to face-off in. Winning team gets rewards and advantages, losing team gets punishments and looses players. The Americans are all just so _gullible_! That's what makes the show so great!"

Karin perked a brow as she watched "Judge Bob" walk out on stage in his "birthday suit" which just happened to be golf attire. "I betchya any Americans watching this show at home... or maybe even the Americans _on_ the show, think the Japanese are a bunch of crackpots."

All the girls laughed. Sachiko added, "Well, it's not exactly trying to prove the contrary."

A blaring alarm sounded from the televison set, interrupting their hearty laughter and grabbing their immediate attention. From right to left a red banner was scrolling across the top of the screen. They heard a deep announcer's voice reading the characters that danced rapidly across the banner.

'Breaking News: This announcement has been distributed by Sakura TV throughout the Shinjuku district under the administration of the Japanese Police. Local authorities have been tracking down a rapist from Tokyo since early on this evening. Police were drawn into a high-speed chase on I-14, which has now been closed off in the interest of public safety. It is confirmed that the driver has a gun with him as one policeman has been killed and two others are injured. The police intend to give chase in hopes of capturing the criminal before he crosses the border. This message will repeat...'

Karin had immediately switched the TV off after the announcement, not wanting to hear it again. Sayu found her eyes wide and horrorstruck. She could only imagine that this had been the "urgent" call Matsuda had received from Aizawa. She tried to put it out of her mind, though. She tried to think of what other "urgent" things Aizawa could have called Matsuda about... categorizing files or something. That sounded plausable... right? She resigned to the notion that there was no other reason Aizawa would have called Matsuda in tonight. The only thing Sayu could hear in her head was the pulsing of her own blood. One man was dead... one man was dead... one man was dead... the mantra continued on. The fear evident in her eyes as she prayed that man hadn't been Touta... but with his luck...

The other three seemed to be thinking the same thing as they read the expression on Sayu's face, for their faces, as well, held similar expressions. "We'll take my car." Karin declared, as Sachiko helped Sayu off the sofa.

The ramen had been completely abandoned, and the women were sliding sandals and flip-flops onto their feet. Nami strapped Udeki into his carseat with haste, which surprisingly had no effect on his slumber. Just as they were about to set foot out the door, Sayu's cellphone began to ring. She pulled it out of her back pocket and looked over the caller ID. She wasn't familiar with the number, but decided to answer anyway as she walked out the front door. "Hello?"

She could hear loud sirens on the other side of the phone, and a woman who was, quite obviously, panicking. Sayu caught a worried look from Sachiko who, she knew, could easily hear the mess of noise on the other end of the phone. "Hello?!!! HELLO?!!!" the woman screamed into Sayu's ear, as the pregnant woman attempted to ease her way down the staircase to the ground level of appartments.

"Hello?" Sayu repeated, her heart beginning to pick up speed as she began hurrying toward Karin's silver Mazda.

A man in the background was trying to calm the woman on the other end, but she was completely freaking out. She wailed into the phone again, "Sayu! It's me, Tomoe!!!!!"

"Tomoe?!" Sayu asked, surprised.

Sayu listened intently to what was going on in the background now. There was a loud beeping noise, and she could hear men arguing over whether or not they were "going to lose him". She heard some guy telling, who she guessed had to be Tomoe, to "stand back". Tomoe, sounding far beyond the point of distressed had asked what they were doing. Sayu was in the front seat of Karin's car when all of a sudden the shrill screeching of a banshee cried through her phone, "OHMY**GAWD**!!!!!!_NO_!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Karin, who was the last to get in the car, had stopped halfway, hearing the woman on the other end of Sayu's phone scream bloody murder. Everyone in the car seemed to be disturbed and unsettled by the blood curtling shriek. Karin shut her car door quickly and turned her key in the ignition without bothering to put on her seatbelt.

As Karin began to back out of her parking spot, Sayu heard Tomoe on the other end of the phone sobbing uncontrollably and her sorrowful wails of misery seemed to drone on forever. "MATSU_DAAA_!!!!!" Tomoe shouted into the speaker.

Sayu couldn't listen to Tomoe anymore. She didn't want to know what was going on. Sayu closed her phone before she could hear anything else. Sayu was becoming frustrated at how long it was taking Karin to back-out the car and get going. Although Karin knew what she was doing, Sayu still felt the urge to needlessly yell, "_DRIVE_!"

Karin's tires screeched in protest as she burned the rubber against the pavement and sped off into the night.

**xXx**

The women ran through the Hospital's Entrance, and rushed to the front desk. Sayu recognized the nurse at the desk; her jet black pixie cut and compassionate violet eyes. "Eri!" Sayu said when she reached the desk.

Eri turned to face Sayu. Why did that girl look so familiar? She raised a brow at the women before her. "Erm... do I kn--?" Suddenly it dawned on her, as she gazed into the pleading chocolate orbs of the pregnant woman, "Miss. Yagami?"

"Yes."

"Well, hi! How're you?! Wow, it feels like I haven't seen--"

"Eri, please! Where's Matsuda Touta's room?! We have to see him!" Sayu explained quickly, not interested in pleasantries.

The nurse knew exactly who Matsuda Touta was. That was a terrifying day when Yagami threatened to throw herself from the balcony. Matsuda Touta was who she had asked to see if they didn't want her to jump. Eri hadn't seen Sayu since, even though she knew that the girl had been seen recently by Utashima.

She looked over all of their worried faces. Something was wrong, Eri could tell. "Well, gimme a minute, I'll look through the records."

They waited for Eri to check and see which room Matsuda had been placed in. Her eyes furrowed at the computer screen before she turned to face their group again. "I don't know how to-- well... er... it doesn't look like he's been here since last Autumn." Eri was slightly confused about the whole situation.

The four women in front of her exchanged panicked looks. Eri heard the raven haired woman make a comment about him not being here yet, which made fear quite obviously written on their faces. "Is there anyway I can help you ladies?" She asked politely.

They didn't get an opportunity to answer as some men burst through the front doors with a stretcher. The flashing red lights of an ambulance was still visible through the glass doors leading to the outside. They were screaming to eachother and yelling at pedestrians to 'move outta the way' as they raced through the lobby. Sayu could feel a sickening knot clench in her stomach somehow she knew...

"OHMY--!! TOUTA!!!!!" Karin screamed, trying to break through the men pushing the stretcher to catch a glimpse of her brother.

Mrs. Yagami's hand rushed to her mouth as she let out a gasp at the sight of Matsuda laying flat and motionless on the stretcher. Nami's head whipped toward where Karin was being restrained from interfering with the paramedics' mission. Nami fell to her knees, shocked by what she was witnessing. She never thought Matsuda would... _could_ end up in this situation. He had always been so happy... so full of life... why did bad things have to happen to good people?

Blood. Crimson flowing _blood_. The only thing that Sayu could see was the bloodstains splattered across the front of the white dress shirt he had worn under the suit he had changed into after Aizawa had called earlier that evening. The paramedics sped past her, attempting to staunch his bleeding and yelling commands at one another. Sayu's eyes followed them as they passed through some doors leading into a bright, large hallway.

Tears fell from her eyes. This couldn't be happening. This had to be somesort of nightmare. Any moment she would wake up in bed with Matsuda laying beside her wondering what she had been screaming about for the past half hour... right? Sayu cried harder. As much as she wanted to believe that this was some scary, jacked-up part of her imagination, it was all too real. She was going lose the man she loved. This was the exact reason why her parents didn't want her to get involved with a police officer. She reached up and wiped away the tears that were sliding down her face.

"Sayu!"

Sayu was crushed in a tight hug. She found Tomoe clinging to her and sobbing up a storm. "Tomoe-chan?"

"I-I tried to... but he... he... and then they wouldn't, I mean... they just---!" Tomoe was beside herself, she looked terrible. Her make-up was running down her face, and her eyes were red and puffy from all the crying she had been doing.

Eri looked down at the scene left by the sudden barrage of paramedics racing through the lobby. These women were all devastated. That must mean that Matsuda Touta...

"Hey..." Eri asked them in a soothing tone, "If you want to wait in the lobby here... I'll try to go find out what's going on, okay?"

Karin, who was now being consoled by Mrs. Yagami, sniffled, "Y-you would... you would do that?"

Eri smiled sympathetically and nodded. She called someone else to take over her spot at the front desk while she went to go check on Matsuda. The women moved to the lobby area. Sachiko spared a glance at her watch: It was around 1AM. They were all quite tired by this point. Karin, still sobbing, took this moment to call her family.

"H-hey, Zokushi... u-uhm... I'm probably not going to be home at all tonight..."

"Wha--- why, Oka?! You know it's like 1 o'clock in the morning, right?! Did your new car break down or something?" he groaned, "I told you they fuck it up on purpose so you have to pay more money... Look, if ya need a ride, I gotchya... just tell me where the hell you are an' I'll come pick you up, 'kay?"

"Zokushi, I'm at the hospital..."

"The Hospital??! What, did you get in an accident on your way home?! You're not hurt are you?!" Her rebellious son sounded sincerely concerned and worried for his mother's safety.

"No, no... listen, just tell your father, I won't be home tonight, all right? I'll explain later--"

"Oh no you don't, Woman! Tell me what the 'eff is going on! I don't wanna get left out of the fucking loop this time!"

Karin sighed, "How long have you been sitting in front of the TV?"

"Huh? What kind of jank question is that? Since ten when my movie started, why?"

"Then you saw the news about the police chase?"

"Oh yeah, got up to make myself a sandwich... I could hear it all the way in the kitchen... pretty sweet, huh?! You gotta respect the officers going at it like that... too bad about the one guy, though... guess it comes with the job. Hope the injured men pull through... anyway, what of it?"

Her voice wavered as she spoke, "U-uhm... your un-cle... he..."

A loud thump came from the other end of the phone. Karin heard a scuffling noise and then Zokushi asked, "Y-you mean to say Uncle T... he was _there_? He was one of the injured cops?!! I mean... Dude! You've got to be kidding me! So... is he gonna make it? I mean, he'll be all right, won't he?"

Karin burst into tears again and said something incoherent into the speaker of her cell phone about being home in the morning. She then hung up the phone on her son. Nami rested a hand on Karin's shoulder. Karin then began to dial the number to her parents' house. She got up and walked away from their spot in the lobby to cry and sob the whole story to her parents in private.

**xXx**

Their group was in that awkward place between sleep and awakeness when Eri emerged from the doors three hours later. Matsuda Yoru and Tachi had joined them, as well as Kotetsu, who had been called by Zokushi and given the details of the situation. Aizawa had come as soon as the criminal was caught, he felt extremely guilty about the whole mess things had become. Yoru was supposed to call Hana when he got word of what Touta's condition was. Their group became immediately alert as Eri strode over to them.

"He's stable. We don't really want anyone in there with him at the moment... but I told them that you all are extremely concerned for him," she paused for a moment, "They agreed to allow two family members to go back there as long as you're with me."

All the faces amongst their group looked back and forth between eachother. "I think... Sayu should go for sure." Karin nominated in a strong voice.

Kotetsu, who had been consoling his mother since he arrived, was shocked she could say something with such a firece tone. He completely agreed with her words, though, as did the rest of the family. Yoru had no desire to see what had become of his son, he'd much rather just hear about it. He knew his wife and daughter wanted, very much, to accompany Sayu to visit Touta. Nami stood up, Udeki's little arms clinging around her neck, "I think Kotetsu should go with her."

Of all the people eligible for this, _Kotetsu_? Yoru liked the idea, and Mrs. Matsuda didn't know what to think of it. Nami explained, "Look, I think Kotetsu is the most level-headed right now," Her voice broke while she was speaking, "I think he would be the best person to send with Sayu."

No one could deny this, and it was quite well-thought out. They decided to go with Nami's suggestion. Kotetsu let out a grunt as he rose from his chair, offering Sayu a hand to help her out of hers. Eri smiled at them. "All right, stay close to me."

They followed her into the bright flourescent lights of the hallway beyond the doors. The nurse led them through many winding hallways that, to Sayu, all looked exactly the same. Finally they stopped at a large window. Eri motioned for them to look through it. Sayu gasped and her face began to redden with tears welling in her eyes. Matsuda could be seen through the large window laying on a bed in a hospital gown. He was hooked up to several machines, one of which kept him breathing, and one of which monitored his heart. Kotetsu wrapped an arm comfortingly around her shoulders.

"He's successfully made it through his surgery." Eri informed them, "But just barely... now all he has to do is recover from it... but just so you know, he's very weak and..." She sighed, disappointed she didn't have better news for them, "popular belief right now is he won't be able to pull through."

She smiled, though, "_I_ happen to think he will... and our doctors are doing everything in their power to save him. Now, he really does need rest, but if you're quiet, I'll let you in for a bit."

Kotetsu and Sayu nodded, and Eri opened the door for them to enter. Sayu immediately went to Matsuda's side; the wound on his chest had been stitched up and cleaned as best as it could be, but a bit of blood still seeped through the stitches. The monitor beeped rythmically but the spikes were nearly indescipherable. He looked so frail laying there, it brought tears to the edge of Sayu's eyes.

The two stayed there for awhile in silence, just listening to the monitor and the sound of Touta's nearly inaudiable breathing. Suddenly, Sayu made a light gasp, that didn't go unnoticed by Kotetsu. "Sayu? Sayu, what's the matter? You okay?"

Her hand had involuntarily moved to her back. "Y-yeah. That was really weird, though..." she whispered.

He raised a brow, "Explain."

"The baby kicked me... but I've never--_owch_!" Sayu yelped a little too loudly, "It's like a sharp knife stabbing my spine!"

"Great_,_ _guns_ shooting my uncle, _knives_ stabbing my aunt... you guys are just accident _magnets_!" Kotetsu joked, receiving a smile from Sayu before she gave another light gasp of pain.

Kotetsu's brows furrowed, "I'd feel better if you had a doctor make sure you're all right."

"No, it's nothing... I'm fine, really! _Ah_!"

He shook his head from side to side. "No, you're not." He said firmly, "I'm going to have someone take a look at you and make sure there's not something wrong with the baby."

Kotetsu walked over to the intercom and spoke to the front desk through the mic, "Uh, hello? This is the front desk, right? Is Nurse Eri around somewhere?"

A female voice replied, "Yes, this is Eri."

"Hey, uh, we're in Matsuda Touta's room and we--"

"Did he wake up?!!" the intercom asked with a note of surprise in her voice.

"No. No. Nothing is wrong with the paitent... but Eri, you know Sayu and I are in here, and in the past few minutes she's been experiencing some physical pain... we were wondering if a doctor might be available to look at her?"

"I'll send Doctor Utashima down immediately." with that, the intercom went static-y.

Eri and the doctor arrived shortly. They had brought a wheelchair with them. "Oh, guys, I think that's a bit much... I really don't need a _wheelchair_." Sayu told them politely.

"Nonsense!" Utashima declared, "It would be very _un_gentlemanly for me to allow a woman in your condition to _walk_ all over this hospital."

Sayu decided not to argue with him over it, she really didn't mind sitting down for a bit anyway. Eri signaled for Kotetsu to follow them out the door. "I think that's enough visitors for now."

**xXx**

An hour later, Kotetsu had traveled back out to the lobby. He was greeted by worried faces and fearful eyes. He was beaming at them all. Sachiko immediately stood up from her seat, "Where's Sayu?!!"

"Sayu went into labor."

Gasps emanated from everyone in the group along with excited squeals of delight. Tachi spoke up, "When did this happen!"

"While we were with Uncle T. She said she had been feeling the baby kicking her, so I had someone check it out... apparently her water broke on the way to one of the rooms." Kotetsu explained with a shrug.

It was good to see that this one thing had lit such happiness inside these people who had been looking rather glum. "A-and how _is_ Touta?" Tomoe asked, unexpectedly.

Happy moment over. Everyone was back to looking absolutely disasterous. "Er... well..." He sighed, "Actually... he had to undergo some extensive surgery, from what I've been told, and had to have a bullet removed from his chest." They gasped, but he continued, "They say it missed his heart, but the damage it's done is really bad... and... they still aren't sure he'll come outta this mess all right. Sayu's pretty bummed out about the whole thing. I've offered to go pick up her luggage at her house... and Uncle T's, too. Anyone wanna go with?"

"I will!" Tomoe volunteered.

**xXx**

Eri sighed, as she fluffed the paitent's pillows. This whole ordeal between Yagami and Matsuda was so very depressing. She sighed again."H-hey..." Eri had been startled by the feeble voice coming from Matsuda's mouth, "is S-Sayu... all... right?"

"Wha--?"

"I-I heard... her... earlier... she sounded... like she was in pain." He clairified, opening his eyes slightly.

"She's fine." Eri lied, hoping he wouldn't call her bluff.

Matsuda seemed to force his eyes open. He looked intently at Eri's pale face before he decided what he was going to say. "Where is she?" Apparently she hadn't fooled him; he knew something was up.

Eri's mouth fell open, "Y-you're not seriously thinking about visiting her?! Not in your current state!"

"Of course I am!" He said defiantly, struggling to rise from his bed.

"No! Stop! You'll open your stitches!" Eri pleaded.

Fortunately, he paused for a moment, apparently mulling the thought over in his mind. Eri bit her lip. She really wanted to tell Matsuda what had occurred since Sayu left this room, but she feared how Matsuda would take the news. She didn't want him to risk his life... but (and she hated herself for thinking so) this was probably more important than his life. Finally, she spoke, "Miss Yagami is in labor."

Eri knew he was going to kill himself trying to go see Sayu, so she was quick when saying, "If you trust me, then I'll make this work... please don't... don't do anything rash, okay? Can you trust me?"

He held his breath for a moment before exhaling heavily. Matsuda nodded.

**xXx**

Light poured through the many windows of the lobby. The gentle rays caused the room to glow. A man dressed in a doctor's uniform walked over to the group of people who had been camping out in the lobby since late in the evening. Half of their party had found some form of sleep... the other half had obviously been deprived of that particular privillage. He smiled at the tired bunch and greeted them warmly, "Hello! I'm Doctor Utashima! Good morning, Everyone! I was wondering if you, by any chance, know of a Miss Yagami Sayu?"

"Yes, yes! How is she?!" a woman with concerned brown orbs and a greying brunette bun piled on top of her head asked immidiately.

"Miss Sayu is fine. If you would like to see her, I'll take you to her room." He tried to keep his tone level.

They hurriedly scrambled to their feet, shaking the sleepers back into the world of the living before setting off after Utashima. They all received Visitors' Passes and proceeded up to the Maternity section of the Hospital. Utashima left them there with Sayu's room number and told them that if they needed anything to call down to the front desk. Their crew continued through the hallways until they got to room 314. Aizawa rapped thrice upon the door. He heard Sayu's muffled voice from inside the room tell him they could enter. As the door swung open joy and relief spread throughout the group.

Matsuda was propped upright on several pillows. He was still hooked up to monitors and had an IV in his right arm. Matsuda was also still wearing his oxygen mask to keep him breathing. Sayu looked about as tired as the rest of them, but she was definitely more exhausted. A light sheen of sweat was glistening over her face. Her hair looked damp and the strands of fallen hair were sticking to the sweat on her face. She looked a little paler than she did when they had last seen her, but Sayu wore her wonderfully cheerful smile. She held a little bundle of cloth in her arms. Their friends and family could only guess what that was.

Tomoe and Kotetsu brought in the suitcases and pushed them up against a wall out of the way. Tachi was asking Matsuda all sorts of questions, making sure he truely _was_ okay. Meanwhile her husband phoned Hana and let her know everything that happened. Touta quietly explained how the nurse, Eri, had helped to make arrangements so that he could room with Sayu. Sachiko asked Sayu if she could hold the newest member of their family. Sayu seemed reluctant at first, but she knew this was coming. She passed the bundle to her mother. "Watch her head." Sayu cautioned.

"Her?" Sachiko asked, tears of joy welling in her eyes.

Sayu smiled. "Yeah. That's your granddaughter."

"Does she have a name?" Nami inquirred, remembering back when Matsuda had named _her_ son a little less than a year ago.

Touta and Sayu exchanged looks before Sayu replied, "Not yet..."

"Well... she looks just like her mommy!" Karin commented, peering over Sachiko's shoulder to get a look at the newborn.

"No, no... she's got a tuft of black hair, see?" Kotetsu pointed out.

"Oh, yeah!"

Names started firing out at the new parents from left and right. It was like everyone had prepared a list of names before coming here this morning. Although Sayu appreciated their help, she really just wanted herself and Touta to come up with a name for their daughter together. Suddenly, Kushina screamed from somewhere in the mass of people. Sayu thought she had heard the last of Tomoe's screams for awhile... apparently not. Kotetsu saw a lightening bug drifting in front of Tomoe's face. He laughed, "It probably hitched a ride on the luggage... heh heh heh, I'll get it... you're afraid of a little fire fly?"

Kushina blushed, quite obviously embarassed by her little outburst. "Er... well..."

Sachiko returned the infant into its mother's arms. Sayu's eyes got really bright and wide as she welcomed the baby back into her arms and turned to face her fiancé. "Touta, I know what to name our baby..." Sayu looked down at her daughter's rosey face, "_Hotaru_."

"Hotaru? Hm... Hotaru... Matsuda Hotaru... I like it." Matsuda smiled with pride.

"Well... I'd better get going... my wife will be wondering what the hell happened to me," Aizawa rested a hand on Matsuda's shoulder, "Matsuda... you're the _craziest_ bastard I've ever met... and for that, I owe you my life. I don't know if anyone has ever told you this, but... you're an _idiot_, and in _spite_ of that... I think you're going to make a good father."

"Thanks, Aizawa."

"Yeah. Later." Aizawa shut the door quietly on his way out, not wanting to disturb any paitents who were still trying to sleep.

Sayu was happier than she could ever remember being. In her arms she held her daughter and at her side she had her fiancé. She was surrounded by people she loved and cared about. Her baby was well and healthy and Matsuda was now working toward making a full recovery. Things looked bright, and Sayu couldn't wait to see what the future was going to hold for her. But she knew one thing was for certain... she had to be the luckiest woman in the world. She was already hearing Tachi and her mother talking about wedding plans to one another. Everything was going to be all right. For now, Sayu just wanted to rest and let the world drown out to make room for the world of sleep.

* * *

_Wow, it took me about... two days to write this, but it's over 5,000 words.. almost 6,000 and by far my longest chapter written... EVER! Plus, the WHOLE second half got deleted twice... grr. So, anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it! Because in the next chapter: the DEATH NOTE returns! Dun dun DUNNNN!!!Muwahahahahaha!!!! Oh, c'mon. There's no such thing as 'Happily Ever After'._

_Just as a little side note: "Hotaru" means "fire fly" in Japanese._

_Please leave reviews! :D_


End file.
